Mangaluru : Senior Congress leader B. Janardhana Poojary on Saturday said those who ignored his “friendly advice” with regard to righteous practices did not prosper in the Congress. He asked Chief Minister Siddaramaiah to mend his behaviour and cancel the tender awarded to establish a diagnostic laboratory to Matrix Imaging Solutions, in which his son Yathindra was a partner.

Speaking to presspersons here on Friday, Mr. Poojary said he had asked late Devaraj Urs not to go against late Indira Gandhi. “However, Urs did not heed my advice and everyone knows what happened later. Similarly, my advice to former Chief Minister S. Bangarappa went unheeded. I had even asked late Prime Minister P.V. Narasimha Rao to distance himself from ‘godman’ Chandraswami; but he too ignored my advice and invited trouble,” he said.

The media is going all out about the issue (Matrix), thereby severely denting the image of the party, the government and Mr. Siddaramaiah. Stating that he did not intend the Chief Minister to step down, he said he was cautioning him with concern over him and the party.

Mr. Poojary castigated Minister for Women and Children Development Umashree, who was in town to attend a few official programmes, including Beary Sahitya Academy award distribution. Asking her to focus on drought relief work, he said all district in-charge Ministers should prioritise on drought-relief.