Pics: Umesh Marpalli

Daijiworld Media Network - Udupi (SP)

Udupi, Oct 6: Under its 'CMC Commissioner Hatao' programme, city unit of BJP intensified its agitation demanding the immediate removal of city municipal council (CMC) commissioner, D Manjunathaiah, by holding a procession on Friday October 6.

The protesters demanded Manjunathaiah's deputation back to his parent department - education. They said that Manjunathaiah lacks technical knowledge required for the post he holds, as he is from education department, and also that he is corrupt. They said that the CMC is seeping in corruption because of the support of the commissioner.

BJP activists have started a postcard movement under which signed postcards are sent to education minister, Tanveer Sait, and principal secretary in the department, in their own handwriting in large numbers, demanding for re-deployment of Manjunathaiah to his parent department.

A procession in this connection was taken out from BJP office at Kadiyali here to the city municipal council building by foot. The procession moved through city bus stand and service bus stand before reaching the municipal office. The procession had a picture of the CMC councillor mounted on a vehicle with a garland of footwear around it and a bier accompanied by scented sticks placed in the shell of tender coconut, with a white cloth covered over the bier, a procedure followed during Hindu funeral procession. A memorandum containing the above demand was brought by the protesters for being presented to the president of city municipality.

Former MLA, K Raghupathi Bhat, Yashpal Suvarna, Yuva Morcha president, Shreesha Nayak, Kuilady Suresh Nayak, Geetanjali Suvarna, Akshath Shetty, party general secretary, Shyamala Kunder, Nayana Ganesh, Veena, Sulochana Bhat etc participated.

Addressing the protesters, Raghupati Bhat stated that state education minister, Tanveer Sait, had issued orders to get back officers from his department who have been on deputation elsewhere, immediately. Terming Manjunathaiah as not knowledgeable enough and having no technical background, no qualification etc, and recalled that in the past the officer had got removed pandal set up by BJP for holding protest against sand mafia during the period the leaders went away to present an appeal to the deputy commissioner. "Corruption is rampant in CMC even for issuance of birth and death certificates. I urge Pramod Madhwaraj to immediately remove Manjunathaiah from the post, failing which strong protest programme will be launched," he warned. "If the district in-charge minister so wants, he can keep Manjunathaiah as his peronal secretary," he remarked.

District BJP president, Mattaru Ratnakar Hegde, noted that Manjunathaiah, who does not have engineering degree or any background of urban development department, does not have technical knowledge needed to function as municipal commissioner. "Even in the past he was corrupt. If he continues to function here, corruption will increase," he remarked.

The protesters who were trying to enter the municipal building, were stopped at the gate by the police. Sometime later, president, Meenakshi Madhava Bannaje, came there and received the memorandum presented to her.