MP Kota Srinivas Poojari stages a protest urging the CM to withdraw the allegations

MP Kota Srinivas Poojari stages a protest urging the CM to withdraw the allegations

Mangalore Today News Network

Bengaluru, July 29, 2024: BJP MP Kota Srinivas Poojari held a protest on Monday urging Chief Minister Siddaramaiah to withdraw allegations of misconduct and abuse of power or recommend a CBI investigation. After garlanding the statue of Dr. B.R. Ambedkar in the Vidhana Soudha premises, he held a symbolic protest in front of the Mahatma Gandhi statue and displayed a placard with the slogan, "Withdraw the allegations against me or refer it to the CBI for investigation."

Leader of the Opposition in the Legislative Council Chaluvaraya Swamy, former minister and MLA S. Suresh Kumar, Legislative Council members Bharati Shetty, N. Ravi Kumar, Pratap Simha Nayak, Shantharam Budnasiddi, and others joined the protest, displaying placards urging to oppose on ideological grounds and to drop personal allegations.

After the symbolic protest, Kota Srinivas Poojari responded to reporters, saying, "The parliamentary session is underway. I have conducted a symbolic protest after obtaining permission from senior leaders. In a semi-private letter written to CM Siddaramaiah, I had imposed a one-week deadline to withdraw the allegations or recommend a CBI investigation."

"Since there was no response from the Chief Minister even after the deadline, I have conducted the protest as mentioned in the letter and am writing another letter. Due to the lack of opportunity to provide a rebuttal or defense for the allegations against me in the Assembly, the symbolic protest became necessary to prevent misinformation from reaching the public," he explained.

When responding in the Assembly to allegations of irregularities in the allocation of Maharshi Valmiki Corporation and MUDA plots, CM Siddaramaiah accused me of scandals involving the Bhovis Development Corporation and the Ganga Kalyana scheme during the Bommai government when I was the Minister for Social Welfare. Reiterating the same statements outside the Assembly caused personal distress.

"Upon assuming office as Minister for Social Welfare, I became aware of these scams and brought them to the attention of CM Bommai, ordering a CID investigation. The Direct Cash Transfer (DCT) system was implemented to bring transparency to the Ganga Kalyana scheme, which your government continued."

"Your allegations in the Assembly and Deputy CM D.K. Shivakumar’s harsh words have caused disappointment. The baseless accusations stemming from political vendetta were also not addressed in the letter I wrote. I am reiterating my request to withdraw the allegations or refer them for a CBI investigation, and I am sending the letter to the Chief Minister once again," said Kota Srinivas Poojari.