Poojary threatens to sit on dharna in Bengaluru over Siddaramaiah’s statement
The Hindu
Former Minister Poojary demands Chief Minister withdraw statement or face CBI investigation, threatens dharna in Bengaluru.
Kota Srinivas Poojary, Udupi-Chikkamagaluru MP, on Saturday, July 20, said that he would sit on dharna in front of the Mahatma Gandhi statue between Vidhana Soudha and Vikasa Soudha in Bengaluru if Chief Minister Siddaramaiah did not withdraw his statement alleging Poojary’s involvement in borewell scam.
Addressing presspersons in Udupi, Mr. Poojary, who was formerly the Leader of the Opposition in the Legislative Council and a Minister, said that the Chief Minister should withdraw his statement within a week.
Denying his role in any scam when he was the Minister for Social Welfare and Backward Classes Welfare, Mr. Poojary said that Mr. Siddaramaiah has been the Chief Minister for a year. If there was any involvement of Mr. Poojary in any scam, Mr. Siddaramiah could have ordered the CID inquiry into the same. “Why you (Mr. Siddaramaiah) did not do it?” he asked. The Chief Minister is now free to ask the CBI to investigate the “scam”, Mr. Poojary said.
The MP said that if the Chief Minister did not withdraw his statement, Mr. Poojary would press for the CBI investigation by sitting on dharna in Bengaluru.
Mr. Poojary said that he will also examine if there is any provision to file a defamation case against Mr. Siddaramaiah over his statement.