Chandre Gowda in food row

By Our Special Correspondent

SHIMOGA, OCT. 14. The reported partaking of non-vegetarian food on Gandhi Jayanthi by the Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister, Mr. D.B.Chandre Gowda, at a party hosted by a party leader at Koppa in Chikmagalur District is snowballing into a major controversy.

Mr. Gowda's political adversaries within the party and outside are trying to extract political mileage out of what has been termed as a non-issue.

The BJP has succeeded to some extent in making it a public issue reportedly at the instance of Mr. Araga Jnanendra, MLA from the neighbouring Tirthahalli constituency in Shimoga District and an arch rival of Mr. Gowda, who once represented Tirthahalli in the Legislative Assembly.

As part of their campaign against Mr. Gowda, the BJP workers ``purified'' an effigy of a voter in the constituency with ``panchagavya'' (cow's urine), according to reports reaching here.

It was stated that after attending the official function held to mark Gandhi Jayanthi, Mr. Gowda went to the residence of the President of the Koppa Taluk Congress Committee, Mr. Praveen Kumar, for lunch where he was reportedly served non-vegetarian food. Nearly 400 people attended the lunch, it is said.

The Chikmagalur BJP MP, Mr. D.C.Srikanthappa, who was also invited for the lunch chose not to attend.

Congress workers in the taluk are said to be divided on the issue. While some of them objected to Mr. Gowda savouring non- vegetarian food on Gandhi Jayanthi when the slaughter of animals and sale of liquor were banned all over the country, some others felt that Mr. Praveen Kumar should not have arranged for non- vegetarian food.

The BJP says that it is not demanding the resignation of Mr. Gowda over the issue but wants him to tender a public apology for his ``mistake.''

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Section  : Southern States
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