Go to people, touch their feet for forgiveness: Poojary tells Kateel

Adding voice to the cry against fiery remarks made by MP Nalin Kumar Kateel, senior Congress leader B Janardhana Poojary on Thursday demanded the latter to go door-to-door and tender apology by touching the feet of the people.

Kateel had warned of creating arson in the district if the police failed to arrest the perpetrators behind the murder of Karthik Raj in October, last year.

Poojary, who minced no words in chastising his political bête noire Kateel against whom he lost elections to Lok Sabha consecutively for two times, cited his own example when he had touched the feet of Nehru family, in full public glare upon their arrival at Mangaluru airport. Asking Kateel to shed superiority complex, Poojary said it is an appeal made by him as an advocate (Poojary was practising law before he entered politics).

On the remarks made by Kateel, Poojary questioned whether the latter uttered the word in haste as indulging in such massacre attracts legal action. “Is he not aware that such heinous crime attracts death penalty?”

On the burning issue of Yettinahole drinking water project, Poojary demanded the resignation of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, Minister for Forest, Ecology and Environment B Ramanath Rai and Minister for Water Resources M B Patil for being adamant in implementing the project, ignoring the ground reality.

‘Comments unacceptable’
Poojary said the comments, made by Home Minister G Parameshwara in connection with the molestation of a young woman in Bengaluru in the wee hours of January 1, are unacceptable. He repented that he had batted for him (Parameshwara) to become chief minister.

‘Unbecoming of CM’
When Poojary’s attention was drawn on the arrival of the chief minister to Mangaluru in a special flight to attend the wedding ceremony of NRI businessman B R Shetty’s son in the evening, Poojary said, “Chief minister lacks brain. Doesn’t it amount to corruption if the special flight has been arranged by Shetty?”