Friday's was a forced bandh, says Poojary

The bandh observed in Dakshina Kannada on Friday can not be termed a  “successful bandh” as it was a “forced bandh,” opined Union former minister B Janardhan Poojary.

Addressing media persons at the District Congress office here on Saturday, he said that the Friday’s bandh has created a fear psychosis among the residents of the peaceful district.

Stating that the bandh has resulted in a large scale economic loss to the district, he regretted that an innocent youth has lost his life. Referring to the Supreme Court order that the loss during bandh should be borne by the association which calls for bandh, Poojary urged the State government to implement the Supreme Court order in this regard, recover the loss from the association (which called for bandh) and take stern action against the guilty.

Not an activist
Noting that Harish, who lost his life in a stabbing near B C Road on Thursday, was not a member or activist of any party or association, Poojary sought to know the reason behind BJP State president terming Harish as BJP / RSS activist.

Rues row over Tipu
Regretting the comment by wellknown playwright Girish Karnad that Kempe Gowda International Airport should have been named after Tipu Sulthan, Poojary said that statement was not upto his (Karnad) standard.

Stating that though Karnad sought apologies over his statement, Poojary regretted that the BJP and RSS activists have been raking the incident while State BJP president Pralhad Joshi and former deputy chief minister R Ashok have been issuing provocative statements.

“If there were ten seers of the like of Adichunchanagiri Peeth Head Nirmalananda Swami, such incidents would not have occurred,” he said and challenged the BJP and RSS to make Tipu issue a poll issue in the next elections and cancel the Tipu anniversary celebrations after coming to power in the next elections.

Poojary also appealed to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah to book the guily under Goonda Act and assure the people of the State and create a fear-free atmosphere in the State.