Mangaluru: Putting an end to all speculations, former Congressman and close confidante of Congress leader B Janardhana Poojary, Harikrishna Bantwal on November 9, officially declared that he would be joining the BJP on November 11 during the Parivarthana rally at around 6 PM in Nehru Maidan.
He was addressing a press meet at the Press Club here on Thursday.
“I will be joining the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) along with several of my supporters”, said Harikrishna Bantwal.
Slamming District-Incharge Minister B Ramanatha Rai for “illegally acquiring” a government property at Mani, Harikrishna Bantwal said “After I accused B Ramanath Rai for illegally acquiring a property in his wife’s name at Mani, Rai never addressed the media denying my allegations. It is because he knows that what he has done is a criminal offence. Flouting all the rules, two acres of land was sanctioned in the name of Shaila Rai. Now who is Shaila? Whether Rai has any identity proof like ration card, Aadhar card in the name of Shaila? Rai used two names for his wife to grab the land.”
“Sanctioning a government land without any records, is it not a fraud?” questioned Bantwal.
Harikrishna Bantwal also levelled a serious allegation that Rai had encroached upon 10 acres of government land adjacent to his residence and was being cultivated with rubber plants from the past five years. Hence the DC should interfere into this matter and reveal who has encroached this land, he demanded.
“If my allegations are baseless, let Rai file a defamation case against me”, Bantwal challenged.
