Mounting pressure on the Congress government to sack Minister of State for Infrastructure Santosh Lad, the Bharatiya Janata Party on Friday decided to observe a dharna by its MPs, legislators and State office-bearers in Bangalore on September 30 demanding action against the Minister. Mr. Lad is in the eye of the storm for being the partner of a company that is charged with involvement in illegal mining
This decision was taken at the first meeting of the party’s newly constituted State office-bearers’ team and the leaders in-charge of Lok Sabha constituencies, held in Bangalore on Friday for which central leader in charge of State affairs, T.C. Geholt, was present.
Briefing presspersons after the meeting, State general secretary C.T. Ravi ridiculed Chief Minister Siddaramaiah for defending Mr. Lad. He warned that the BJP would launch a Statewide agitation if the Minister was not sacked.
Taking serious exception to appointing the former Minister D.K. Shivakumar, who is accused of indulging in illegal quarrying, as a member of the Congress co-ordination committee, Mr. Ravi said: “It is difficult to understand the intentions of the Congress. Earlier they had kept him out of the ministry citing the cases against him, now they have given him a post by which he can control the entire ministry.”
On Anand Singh
When his attention was drawn to the BJP’s own member, Anand Singh, allegedly avoiding the police in connection with illegal mining activities, Mr. Ravi said the party wanted him to fully co-operate with police and legal authorities.
District-level meets
Meanwhile, the office-bearers’ meeting has decided to hold district-level meetings of the booth-level workers, besides district executive committee meetings to take stock of the party’s preparations for the Lok Sabha polls. It has formed teams of different leaders to tour the districts and they have been asked to complete the tours before October 15.
