The Hindu : Contractors vent ire at CMC by disrupting Cong. meet

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Jun 15, 2003

Southern States

Southern States - Karnataka

Contractors vent ire at CMC by disrupting Cong. meet

By Our Special Correspondent

BANGALORE JUNE 14. Chaos prevailed at the Yelahanka Block Congress Committee meeting here today when local contractors staged a dharna at the meeting hall demanding that the Yelahanka City Municipal Council clear pending works contract bills.

A group of contractors, said to be local Congress workers, entered the meeting hall and shouted slogans against the CMC President, M. Krishnamurthy, and the Block Congress Committee (BCC) President, S.K. Govindappa, and urged them to stop the meeting.

The All-India Congress Committee Secretary, Mirza Irshad Baig, who was on the dais, shouted at the workers to keep quiet.

Whey they refused to stop shouting, Mr. Baig asked them to leave the hall. "This is not the time to shout. You get out from this hall." This was not the culture of Congress workers, he said.

After holding a brief talk with the local MLA, B. Prasanna Kumar, the contractors left the venue.

The local party workers and contractors alleged that the CMC and BCC presidents had "hired" a large number of workers to attend the meeting. The leaders had sidelined "genuine" workers. What was the necessity of calling a meeting if the party and CMC did not have adequate funds to clear contract works bills? they asked.

Speaking to The Hindu, the MLA said the CMC had not cleared contractors' bills amounting to Rs. 13.80 crore for the past two years. They used the party workers' meeting as an occasion to protest, he added.

Addressing the workers, Mr. Prasanna Kumar regretted the contractors' protest and said it was a shame that they showed their anger in the presence of the AICC Secretary.

He said the Congress Government headed by the Chief Minister, S.M. Krishna, had implemented several programmes in the Yelahanka constituency for the welfare of the people.

Mohammed Baduruddin, KPCC General Secretary, and K.B. Munivenkatareddy, MLC, addressed the meeting.

A quiz programme was arranged for the party workers. When some of the workers were not allowed to participate in the contest, a woman stood up and questioned the criteria adopted to choose workers to answer questions. The woman was given an opportunity to answer a question.

Those who gave correct answers received Rs. 100 from the MLA.

M. Babu, General Secretary, Bangalore Urban District Congress Committee (BUDCC), and the Yelahanka CMC members were present.

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