“The Health Minister is into politics for the past five-six years. We won’t take his threats at face value,” he said while reacting to an alleged provocative statement of Sriramulu on the Congress padayatra entering Bellary. He was speaking to reporters during the lunch break on the fifth day of ‘Nada Rakshna Nadige,’ at Kora near here.
Deshpande said a person should have character in addition to money to draw people and advised Sriramulu to mind his words. He said the padayatra was not only against illegal mining but also was to highlight the failure of the government on various fronts.
Leader of Opposition in the Assembly, S Siddaramaiah, said Bellary is a part of Karnataka and does not belong to a single individual.
“Are Bellary and Shimoga, the fiefdom of Reddys and Yeddyurapa,?” he questioned. He said the Constitution guarantees right to move freely in any part of the country and cautioned that Chief Minister would be held responsible for any law and order problem during the padayatra.
Distinguishing Reddy brothers “mere politicians”as against “consummate politicians,” Siddaramaiah alleged that the former were into politics with the sole objective of making money.
The padayatra, which hit the roads from Tumkur at 10 am reached Kora, at 1.30 pm in the noon. Deputy leader of the Opposition in the Assembly, T B Jayachandra, celebrated his 61st birthday during the padayatra.
DH news Service
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