Mangalore : State Minister for Youth Affairs and Moodbidri MLA Abhayachandra Jain must step down from the post of minister from the cabinet immediately for threatening a reporter of a Kannada daily, said Former deputy CM and senior BJP leader K.S.Eshwarappa.

Addressing the press meet held at District BJP Office on May 2, Friday, he said that the minister making a threatening call to physically assault a reporter for publishing reports on the Niddodi thermal power project, is first of its kind in the history of state politics.

He also said that Abhaychandra Jain must immediately step down from his post of ministership and seek apology from the press and the reporter in particular.

He also said that further BJP will hold a meeting headed by the state unit president Prahlad Joshi on May 7 to take action in this case and hope that Jain will resign from the post before the meeting. Chief Minister Siddaramaiah must expel such an irresponsible minister from his cabinet, he urged.

MLC Capt. Ganesh Karnik, former ministers Nagaraj Shetty, Kota Srinivas Poojari and District BJP President Pratap Simha Nayak were present .