MANGALURU: Alleging that BJP MLA Harish Poonja has made it a habit of hogging the limelight by abusing and threatening government officials, the Congress on Thursday demanded his resignation as a legislator.
KPCC working president Manjunath Bhandary and Dakshina Kannada DCC president K Harish Kumar termed the MLA’s alleged act of abusing and threatening cops as “anti-people and violation of legislators’ conduct”. Further, they alleged that the MLA has brought disrepute to his Belthangady Assembly constituency and Dakshina Kannada.
Kumar said it is not the first time that Poonja was caught abusing government officials and recalled an incident when he had allegedly abused forest officials who acted against forest land encroachment. Referring to a road rage incident in which Poonja had alleged there was a bid to attack him with a ‘talwar’ which later turned out to be false, the Congress leader alleged that the MLA is known to make false allegations to remain in the limelight.
“On moral grounds, Poonja has to resign and recontest if he has guts. The people of his constituency are fed up with him,” he said. Bhandary slammed Poonja for coming to the rescue of a rowdy-sheeter who is involved in illegal quarry and also took objection to him comparing Congress leader Rakshit Shivaram to a crow. “Doesn’t he know that crows are revered in Hindu religion? He is insulting the Hindu religion,” he alleged.
Bhadary said that if Poonja felt that Belthangady police were not fair in dealing with the case, then he should have approached the higher officials than creating a ruckus in the police station. Also, the Congress leader said that if Poonja felt that the police had not respected him, then he should have approached the Legislator’s Privileges Committee.