Mangaluru : Criticising former Chief Ministers D.V. Sadananda Gowda and M. Veerappa Moily who have been supporting the Yettinahole project, the Karavali Jeevanadi Nethravathi Rakshana Samiti, an action committee against the project, on Monday challenged them to arrange a face-to-face programme with experts and activists on the pros and cons of the project.

Addressing presspersons here, K Vijaya Kumar Shetty, president of the samiti, and former MLA, objected to Mr. Gowda reportedly calling green activists and those who opposed the project as “heartless” and “bluffers” at Puttur on January 1.

He said that Mr. Gowda was elected to Parliament from Bengaluru Rural due to the Narendra Modi wave. As the Railway Minister he could not create the Mangaluru railway division.

He was elected to the State Assembly from Puttur and to Parliament from the erstwhile Mangaluru Lok Sabha constituency and from the Udupi-Chikkamagaluru constituency with the votes of people here. Now he was calling the people who voted for him as “heartless”.

Mr. Shetty wondered how Mr. Gowda, being from Mangaluru region and a Union Minister, was not aware of a delegation led by Nalin Kumar Kateel, MP, Dakshina Kannada meeting Union Ministers Prakash Javedkar and Uma Bharati in Delhi on January 17 to urge them to not to approve the project.

He said that people of Dakshina Kannada should boycott both the leaders.

M.G. Hegde, vice-president of the samiti, alleged that both the former Chief Ministers were acting to the tunes of the contractor of the project and speaking on behalf of him.

He alleged that they have soled out themselves for the project.

Mr. Hegde said that if both of them had the integrity and courage they should take an oath before Lord Manjunatha in Dharmasthala that no corruption has taken place in project.

Referring to the report of Regional Empowered Committee on the project based on its December 28 meeting, S.G. Mayya, a former professor of applied mechanics and hydrology, NIT-K, Surathkal, said that it was full of contradictions.

He alleged that the committee had overstepped its limit by stating in its report that “…lobby opposing the project has used pressure tactics on the independence of the REC…”