Mangaluru : Sahyadri Sanchaya, a green activists, Mangaluru, has said that Union Law Minister D.V. Sadananda Gowda’s criticism of the protest by the people of Dakshina Kannada against the Yettinahole diversion project is an insult to the people of Tulu Nadu.

Mr. Gowda had criticised the protest and green activists against the project at Puttur on Friday. He had said that the arguments of the protesters were not proper.

Dinesh Holla, convener of the sanchaya, said that Mr. Gowda speaking for the project had raised many doubts about his integrity. It was not proper for Mr. Gowda, who has earlier been elected to Parliament and to the State Assembly with the votes of people from Dakshina Kannada, to criticise the protests by the people of Dakshina Kannada and Udupi. The sanchaya condemned the statement of Mr. Gowda.

Mr. Holla said that if the arguments of protesters were not correct, Mr. Gowda could have arranged a face-to-face debate with the government and activists. He should answer why he was not coming forward for it.

Mr. Holla said that if the government had any report which clearly stated that the project would not harm the Nethravati and the Western Ghats, he should make it public. Let Mr. Gowda make it available to the people.

The sanchaya wondered how Mr. Gowda was not aware of a delegation led by Nalin Kumar Kateel, MP, meeting Union Minister for Environment and Forest Prakash Javedkar in Delhi on December 17.

It raised doubts whether he was a Minister in the Union government or if he was not part of the BJP. “It gave scope for questions whether there is no link between Mr. Gowda and the Dakshina Kannada BJP,” he said.

The delegation had urged the Minister not to give forest clearance for the project.