The Hindu : JD(U) to intensify stir against Krishnappa

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Oct 23, 2002

Southern States

Southern States - Karnataka-Bangalore

JD(U) to intensify stir against Krishnappa

By Our Special Correspondent

Bangalore Oct. 22. The former minister and senior Janata Dal (United) leader, D. Ashwathnarayan Reddy, who has been demanding the dismissal of the Minister for Social Welfare, A. Krishnappa, on charges of "corruption and nepotism", has said that the agitation in this connection will be intensified.

Mr. Reddy, along with a large number of supporters from the Varthur Assembly constituency, today staged a daylong dharna at Krishnarajapuram here in support of their demands. Shops and business establishments at Krishnarajapuram, and Devasandra, an adjoining village which is the hometown of the minister, remained closed in support of the bandh call given by the JD(U).

Mr. Reddy told The Hindu that he would not relent until Mr. Krishnappa was "sacked". "The Lokayukta raids on the Krishnarajapuram and adjoining city municipal councils have clearly established beyond doubt that a large amount of development funds have been siphoned off. It is unfortunate that the Chief Minister, S.M. Krishna, instead of removing Mr. Krishnappa from his Cabinet, has been defending him both on the floor of the Legislature and outside."

Referring to a recent incident at Varthur in which Mr. Krishnappa is alleged to have hurled footwear and stones at a group of JD(U) demonstrators, Mr. Reddy, who was a minister of State for Home in the J.H. Patel Cabinet, demanded appropriate police action against the minister "who behaved like a rowdy. We filed a complaint in the Varthur police station soon after the attack, but no action has been taken so far."

The JD(U) workers in the Varthur Assembly segment have been holding demonstrations at all functions in the constituency in which Mr. Krishnappa has participated over the past three months.

After a lull following the Cauvery agitation and the abduction of the former minister, H. Nagappa, by Veerappan, the JD(U) workers restarted the demonstrations on October 18 at a function where Mr. Krishnappa was felicitated. The demonstration led to a free-for-all between the local Congress and JD(U) workers.

L. Narayanaswamy, President of the Byappanahalli Block Congress Committee, alleged that it was the JD(U) workers who hurled footwear and stones at the minister and later filed a false complaint against the minister. The police were witness to the incident, he said.

Mr. Reddy said the agitations for the dismissal of Mr. Krishnappa would be intensified and a road-roko agitation held on the ring road near the railway bridge at Channasandra on Thursday. This would be followed by a rasta-roko agitation on Airport Road on October 28.

The supporters of Mr. Krishnappa took out a procession along the Krishnarajapuram main road (Old Madras Road) today even as the bandh organised by the JD(U) was being observed. A large police contingent prevented any untoward incident. The JD(U) also held a public meeting at the Krishnarajapuram Maidan in the evening.

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