Addressing a news conference on Friday, Mr Harinath said that the ruling party must prove the allegation against the Congress corporators within next general meeting of the Corporation.

"The BJP which was seated in the opposition all these years is still behaving like the opposition party. It is its instinct to blame the Congress for everything and it is still doing the same but the point is if all the misappropriations and misuse of funds had happened only during the Congress rule, what did BJP do as the opposition party?" he questioned and asked the Mayor and the BJP Corporators to prove the allegations against Congress Corporators.

Mr Harinath said that there were about 600 files which were signed by Works Committee former chairman Kavitha Sanil. These files were kept pending by the Deputy Commissioner during the administration rule.

Now suddenly 300 files from these files have been disposed and bills have been sanctioned without the permission of the council.

"The files of the influential and elite contractors are missing while those of the poor ones are still there," he said.

Lokayuktha enquiry

In this regard, he said that Lokayuktha enquiry must be held and the true aspects of the files right from Ms Kavitha Sanil signing it to the episodes of disposal of the files must come to light.

Mr Harinath said that corporators whether from BJP or from Congress, who are involved in the two issues must be punished.

Opposition to SAS

"Self Assessment Scheme is only a burden for our people and hence Congress will oppose it," said Mr Harinath substantiating that BJP has been contemplating to impose SAS in Mangalore.

Former mayor Shashidhar Hegde said that even when the Congress was in rule at the state and it had planed to bring in SAS, he as a Mayor had personally opposed it on the grounds that the Scheme will only be a burden for Mangaloreans.
Former mayor Ashraf and Congress Corporators Naveen D’Souza and Deepak Poojary were present.

DHNS