The BJP on Thursday staged a protest against the government both inside and outside the Mangalore City Corporation Council for not posting a regular Commissioner to the civic body. The post has been vacant since the last five months. If the party stalled the council proceedings by staging a dharna at the monthly meeting in the afternoon, the party’s workers took to the streets in the forenoon by staging a protest outside the corporation’s office at Lalbagh.
As the council meeting began, the BJP councillors squatted in the Well of the House shouting slogans against the government and Ministers. They did not allow the Question Hour to take place. The councillors shouted that differences of opinion between Urban Development Minister Vinay Kumar Sorake and Minister in-charge of Dakshina Kannada B. Ramanath Rai had resulted in the civic body not having a regular Commissioner.
Mayor Mahabala Marla told them that it was up to the government to take a decision on posting a regular Commissioner and that he had apprised the government of the issue. He asked the BJP councillors what went wrong in the civic body without a Commissioner. In-charge Commissioner N. Gokuldas Nayak enjoyed full powers of a Commissioner, he said. When the BJP members refused to withdraw the dharna, the Mayor adjourned the meeting for about 15 minutes. The councillors continued to raise slogans when the council met again.
When Whip M. Shashidhar Hegde began to read out the decisions on the subjects (agenda) tabled in the House, a BJP councillor snatched a copy from the hands of Mr. Hegde. At this moment, the Mayor ruled that the decisions taken by the Whip were final and that they were deemed to be considered as approval of the council and ended the meeting.
Leader of the Opposition Premananda Shetty said that they did not agree with the decision of the Mayor and the subjects listed would have to be discussed in the next meeting. Mr. Shetty said that it was not approval of the council but the approval of the ruling Congress.
