Continuing his tirade against B. Ramanath Rai, Minister in-charge of Dakshina Kannada, the former spokesperson of the Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) Harikrishna Bantwal said here on Wednesday that Mr. Rai failing to turn up before Lord Manjunatha Swamy at Dharmasthala for a truth test indicated that the Minister had verbally abused senior Congress leader B Janardhana Poojary at a marriage function in Surathkal this February in the latter’s absence.
Addressing presspersons, Mr. Bantwal said that the deadline for the Minister given by him (Mr. Bantwal) to appear in the temple and swear that he did not abuse Mr. Poojary in filthy language had ended on the midnight of July 11.
The former Congress leader said that the Minister had brought pressure on Mr. Poojary on Tuesday night to instruct Mr. Bantwal not to conduct any press conference about him (Mr. Rai) in Mangaluru on Wednesday. He said that the Minister had called Mr. Poojary over phone.
Mr. Bantwal said that the Minister called Mr. Poojary on the matter twice.
Mr. Bantwal, who has been expelled from the Congress for contesting as a rebel candidate in the 2015 election to the Legislative Council from the local bodies constituency, said that if communal harmony was to be restored in Dakshina Kannada, Mr. Rai should be dropped from the Cabinet.