I was offered Chief Minister post thrice' - Poojary drops a bombshell

July 20, 2012

Bangalore, July 20: In a sensational revelation former Union Minister and senior Congress leader B. Janardhan Poojary has said that he was offered the post of Chief Minister of Karnataka by the party highcommand three times in the past.

“I was offered the post twice when Congress was the ruling party in the State. But I declined to take it up,” Mr. Poojary, who is known for his no-holds-barred comments told reporters here.

Taking a dig at the present party leadership in the State, Mr. Poojary suggested Congress legislators should have started an intense agitation over the failure of the government to appoint a Lokayukta,which has been lying vacant for almost a year now.

Mr. Poojary, as KPCC president during S.M. Krishna's tenure as Chief Minister during the first half of 2000s, had maintained a strict regimen in the party office during his tenure as the president by making even ministers visit it and hear grievances of party workers.

Mr. Poojary, has held several prominent positions in the party apart from being a junior minister in the ministry of Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi. He was appointed the All India General Secretary of the Congress party by Rajiv Gandhi in 1990 and subsequently made the KPCC president.

He rose to prominence again despite losing election to the Loksabha in Mangalore when he was appointed the AICC general secretary by P.V. Narasimha Rao during 1991-96. He was one of the confidantes of the late prime minister.

Interestingly, Mr. Poojary, who also hails from the Western Ghats area, supported Legislative Assembly Speaker K.G. Bopaiah for his statement that the UNESCO heritage tag to the 10 forest areas in Kodagu district was not good for its people.

But he demanded Mr. Bopaiah's resignation from the Speaker's post for saying that the people of Kodagu would be forced to demand Statehood if their rights over the forests were infringed upon in any way. Already Karnataka was plagued by the Belgaum issue and no one should meddle with the integrity of the State, he warned.

He said that Speaker Bopaiah should have resigned after being indicted by the Supreme Court in the case of disqualification of MLAs.

Mr. Poojary said that he will meet the party president Sonia Gandhi and request her to write to the Union Environment Ministry to ensure that UNESCO heritage tag to the Western Ghats is withdrawn.

On the resignation of Kundapur MLA Haladi Srinivasa Shetty from the Assembly, he alleged that the Bharatiya Janata Party and Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh were driving a wedge between the Bunts and the Billavas. While Mr. Shetty is a Bunt, Mr. Kota Srinivas Poojary is a Billava.

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Major facelift for Mangaluru's sporting heart: Mangala Stadium set for 2-month closure to upgrade synthetic track

News Network

December 15,2025

Mangaluru, Dec 15: Educational institutions in Mangaluru that rely on the popular Mangala Stadium for their annual sports events are bracing for an inconvenience as the city's key sporting venue is set to close its gates for a significant upgrade. The stadium is expected to be unavailable for approximately two months starting from January 15, 2026.

The closure is necessitated by a proposed overhaul of the stadium's facilities, with a special focus on upgrading the synthetic track. Pradeep Dsouza, Assistant Director of the District of Youth Empowerment and Sports (DYES), Dakshina Kannada, confirmed the development.

"Experts have visited the stadium, conducted a thorough inspection, and have given the go-ahead for a complete makeover," Dsouza stated. "Funds have been allocated for the project, and we are currently awaiting the final green signal from state officials to commence the work. We anticipate that the work will likely begin in the second week of January. Consequently, we have stopped renting out the stadium to colleges and other organizations in preparation for the upgrade."

The timing presents a logistical challenge for colleges, as many schools have already concluded their sports meets.

"Colleges will now be organizing their events and will need to find alternative locations to host their sports meets," Dsouza added. He suggested a few potential venues, including the Dakshina Kannada police ground, University College grounds, Panambur grounds, Swaraj Maidan in Moodbidri, and the Mangalore University sports grounds in Konaje.

However, many institutions note that finding a comparable venue will be difficult. While the DK police ground and University College grounds are closer to the city center, they do not possess the extensive facilities and infrastructure offered by Mangala Stadium.

Dr. P Dayananda Pai - P Satisha Govt First Grade College, Carstreet, is one such institution dependent on the stadium. Principal Jayakar Bhandary expressed hope for a swift completion of the work. "We expect the work to be completed at the earliest. If not, we will be forced to look for other venues to host the sports day for our students," Bhandary said, highlighting the pressing need for the city's main sporting facility.

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