CM scoffs at Gowda-Siddu meet

Says he will take a floor leaders team to Delhi to ask PM to ban iron ore export ban

Addressing reporters on Thursday, the Chief Minister remarked that Deve Gowda entered Vidhana Soudha after many years, on Tuesday, embraced Siddaramaiah and whispered something in his ear.

“Gowdarige kivili helodu abhyasa (meaning Gowda is good at whispering). He must have told Siddaramaiah to return to the JD(S) so that jointly they can finish the Congress. Anyhow, Gowda has begun moving his pawns”, Yeddyurappa said.

Interestingly, Gowda again visited the Assembly lounge on Thursday to attend his JD legislature party meeting.

The Chief Minister said the Congress and the JD(S) are trying to join hands as the elections to the taluk and zilla panchayats are approaching. Previously too, they had come together but could not get the desired results.

Camp time-table

The Chief Minister said he would camp four days in a month in districts. Between 9 am to 10 am, he would participate in functions to lay foundation-stones for government buildings or inaugurate programmes; review development works between 10.30 am and 1 pm; interact with the public between 1 and 4 pm and between 4 and 9 participate in public functions including cultural programmes. Yeddyurappa said he would like to take a delegation of all the floor leaders of the Legislature to Delhi on July 17 and 18 to meet the Prime Minister to request him to ban export of iron ore.

The Opposition leaders will have to indicate by Friday evening if they were willing to come along. There is an urgent need to impress the Centre to ban the export to stop looting of natural resources. If the Opposition leaders do not join, then he would nevertheless be going, he said.

Padayatra to Mysore

On Minister B Sriramulu’s plan to stage a padayatra from Bellary and Mysore, the Chief Minister said he has already spoken to the minister. “We will take a decision. I have told him that we will work together. They (Reddys) will listen me,” he said without indicating whether the padayatra will be allowed.

To a question whether time has come for him to launch ‘Save Reddy brothers’ campaign, he said there is a need to have campaign to save people from the Congress and the JD (S).