Mangalore: Sadananda Gowda approved Yettinahole project, not Congress: Khadar

Pics: Meryick D'Silva
Daijiworld Media Network - Mangalore (MD)

Mangalore, Mar 7: Minister for health and family welfare U T Khadar on Friday March 7 said that the Congress government was not responsible for the approval of the controversial Yettinahole project and that it was the BJP which had passed it.

Addressing a press meet at the Congress office, he said, "I want to thank all the people of this district and all the organisations for fighting for land and water.

"When the BJP government was in power, the then chief minister D V Sadananda Gowda had approved this project. When this project was given the green signal, the Dakshina Kannada people did not raise their voice against it. I did my job when I was in the opposition party. I have always been opposed to this project. But people are opposing this project only now, after everything is done," he said.

"The MP of Dakshina Kannada is not at all interested in this matter. When the tender was raised in the assembly for the Yettinahole project we were not informed," he added.

Khadar praised former Congress MLA Vijaykumar Shetty for his support to the cause but said that Shetty should have protested when the project was first passed. He also advised the people to fight against any project that would adversely affect Dakshina Kannada district.

In clear support of Congress leader Janardhan Poojary who is one of the contenders for Lok Sabha ticket, Khadar said, "If Janardhan Poojary had been the MP, this project would have been stopped at any cost. He is a genius."

He also came to the support of union minister Dr Veerappa Moily and said, "Union minister Veerappa Moily has not done anything wrong. He is providing water to his constituency Chikballapur and is supporting the project to win the hearts of the people of his constituency. He is doing the right thing by supporting the project."

He added, "Putting the blame on BJP is not the main issue here. The important thing is that what the Dakshina Kannada people are going to face in the future. Due to this project, politicians who are going to contest in Dakshina Kannada district will have bad results in the end and people should think and vote for the right candidate. Later people should not complain that they voted for the wrong person."

He also showed clippings of his interaction with farmers and the media in Kolar where he clarified the doubts of the people.

Eshwar Ullal, Krishna Gatty, Santosh Shetty and many others were also present during the press meet.