Mangaluru (The Hindu): Members of the Opposition BJP in the Mangaluru City Corporation council boycotted the monthly meeting by staging a dharna at the entrance of the council hall on Monday.

They shouted slogans against Mayor Harinath till the end of the meeting.

When the meeting began, Roopa D. Bangera, Leader of the Opposition, raised the decision of the corporation to install a bronze statue of Jawaharlal Nehru at the Nehru Maidan. She said that the BJP opposed it saying there was no need for the statue as there was already a statute of Nehru in front of the Corporation Bank headquarters nearby. The BJP had opposed it in the last month’s meeting of the council too, she said.

Ms. Bangera said that she and the Deputy Mayor, also from the BJP, had attended a meeting presided over by B. Ramanath Rai, Minister in-charge of Dakshina Kannada at the office of the Deputy Commissioner last week. She attended the meeting based on a letter issued by the commissioner of the corporation.

Ms. Bangera said that she opposed the decision in the meeting also. Some Congress workers too had attended the meeting. She asked how Congress workers could attend an official meeting. Ms. Bangera said that she attended the meeting on an invitation in the capacity as the Leader of the Opposition and she was humiliated.

At this point, there was heated arguments between the Congress and BJP members.

Mr. Harinath asked all members to sit down and said that he would give a reply. Enraged with this, the BJP members barged into the well of the House stating that the Mayor was preventing them from speaking in the council.

They picked up an argument with the Mayor.

Mr. Harinath said that Ms. Bangera threw the letter issued by the commissioner to her on him [Mayor] and he had asked all to sit down and did not show any partiality.

The BJP members sought an apology from the Mayor. But he refused.

Later they staged a dharna at the entrance till the meeting got over and shouted slogans now and then.

Three police personnel who entered the council hall on Monday without the permission of the Mayor were sent back immediately after the members objected to it.

They entered the hall along with the BJP members when they barged into the Well of the House for the second time seeking an apology from the Mayor.

The police also went to the well of House expecting trouble.