While denying that he had received a show-cause notice from the party for his tirade against Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, senior Congress leader B. Janardhana Poojary said that the suggestions he has given to the Chief Minister for the benefit of the party cannot be treated as anti-party activity.
Talking to reporters here on Thursday, Mr. Poojary said, “Nobody can expel me from the party.” He added, “The maximum they can do is remove me from the party. But they cannot in any way take away from me the commitment I have to the party. It is in my blood.”
When pointed out that his utterances in public against Mr. Siddaramaiah were giving a bad name to the party, Mr. Poojary said that he could have aired them within the party, if a forum had been created for such utterances. “Why no such forum was created,” he asked and said, “As there is no such forum, I had to air them before the media. Is it wrong to give suggestions to the Chief Minister in the interest of the party?” An attempt is being made to curb his freedom of expression and speech and he will fight against it, he said.
Taking Mr. Siddaramaiah to task for supporting the former Excise Minister H.Y. Meti, who is allegedly featured in a sleaze video, Mr. Poojary said that such persons should be expelled from the party. He went on to say that some of those who have joined the Congress, including Mr. Siddaramaiah, were conducting themselves in such a way that it will spell doom for the party in the State. Mr. Siddaramaiah was getting carried away by the words of his close aide, MLC Ivan D’Souza, against him [Mr. Poojary]. “There is no question of me leaving the party in frustration,” he said.
Mr. Poojary said that members of the Nehru family were shrewd administrators and were closely watching developments in the State. “They know when to act,” he said.
