Tourism Minister Sriramulu has taken strong exception to Janata Dal (Secular) President H D Deve Gowda demanding his scalp for transfer of power to the BJP in the State.

After casting his vote in ward no. 34 in Bellary City Corporation, here on Friday, he said the people would not accept the demand that the BJP should initiate action against for handing over power on October 3.  He said when he had announced that he would resign, the JD (S)  stand was not right.

Reacting to Gowda’s demand that he should apologise, he asked before whom he should apologise.

“I have not done any mistake to ask for an apology. Have I criticised Deve Gowda or the CM,” he asked. When asked had he not alleged that the CM had given a contract to kill him, he denied having made any allegations against the Chief Minister.

He clarified that the Chief Minister was in no way responsible for what had happened in Bellary. His Parliamentary secretary Suryanarayan Reddy and his followers were at fault. “Ours is not a family (including legislator Janardhan Reddy and MP Karunakara Reddy) to give trouble to anyone. If anyone perceives that we are creating a problem to run the government then we do not want any power,” he said.

Asked what he would do if his party bowed to the demand of Gowda and suspended him, he replied that he would stand by the decision of the party.