Pics by Inchara Digitals
Daijiworld Media Network – Udupi (SP)
Udupi, May 29: “Either you should crush the naxals or resign from your position,” former union minister and Congress leader, B Janardan Poojary, told the union home minister, Chidambaram. He was addressing a press conference here, after visiting homes of families, which lost their members in the air crash on Friday May 28.
He noted that Maoists have raised their ugly heads again in West Bengal. He asked the union government not to mediate with the naxals, but to decimate them by using full force. “Those getting involved with violence should be snuffed out without mercy or lenience, and the central and state governments should jointly work towards this end. The central government should put its full might behind this task, and if naxalism cannot be controlled, the union home minister should resign,” he demanded. He advised Chidambaram to continue to work without fear or favour, and without losing heart at criticisms. “When I was the minister, I worked towards my goal, unperturbed at severe criticisms hurled at me. For doing so, one should have guts,” he advised.
About the recent tragedy at the local airport, he felt that pilots should not be allowed to consume liquor, and strict steps should be taken to enforce this rule. He said, he has already written to the central government, urging them to extend the runway at the local airport by 1,000 more feet. He decried efforts of some people to approach the courts, demanding closure of the airport here. “We had made efforts to locate the airport at some other ideal place, but failed to find one. If the airport does not function, development of the region will suffer,” he said.
“When Manishankar Aiyar tried to shift ONGC project to Tamil Nadu, I strongly opposed his efforts. Then, BJP MP, Anant Kumar, praised me as the leader of the parliamentarians from the state. After I complained to Sonia Gandhi, Aiyar lost his portfolio. Even now, the facial expressions of Manishankar Aiyar change when he sees me,” he claimed.
About the statement of the Nagarjuna Virodhi Horata Samiti president that increased heat and smoke at the thermal plant at Nandikoor had forced the flights to change their course, and leading to the said tragedy, he advised the Samiti president to visit Mumbai and see for himself how many plants are functioning near the airport. He said hydro electric power projects have their limitations, and power plants work to mitigate unemployment problem by paving way for faster development.
District Congress president, M A Gafoor, former minister, Vasant Salian, Diwakar Kundar, ArunC Coelho, Harish Kini etc., were present.