Daijiworld Media Network - Mandya (MS)

Mandya, Aug 23: In a great gesture of humanity and feeling for fellow Kannadigas, C S Puttaraju, minor irrigation minister, called off the post-marriage dinner (Beegaru Oota), which was slated on August 26 as part of his son's wedding, and has taken the Good Samaritan decision of donating Rs 10 lac towards the Kodagu flood relief fund.

Puttaraju informed his decision to the scribes on Wednesday, August 22 here and said, "My son's wedding was held in Mysuru and we had decided to have a post-wedding feast in Pandavapura taluk on August 26. We had even distributed invitations to the guests. However, I felt it is not right to have a lavish dinner when thousands of people have been rendered homeless due to floods in Kodagu district. Hence, I am donating the money meant for the dinner to Chief Minister's Kodagu relief fund,"

"When I visited the flood-affected region of Kodagu, the victims there were requesting me to get their homes built. Mandya and Kodagu share close connections. Hence, it becomes our responsibility to extend help to the affected people, who have lost all their possessions. After the urban local body elections are held, I will collect funds from the people of the district, industrialists and others to construct houses for them," he added.

The minister's son C P Shivaraju got married to S Tanushri in an extravagant wedding ceremony that was held at Silent Shores Resort Mysuru on August 19. There was a reception held in Bengaluru also on August 21, which was attended by various ministers, legislators and officials of the government.

Complaint lodged against minister

K T Gangadhar, president of Karnataka Rajya Raitha Sangha and Badagalapura Nagendra have raised a complaint against C S Puttaraju with the state election commission and Mandya deputy commissioner of violating the model code of conduct by arranging a feast to entice the public ahead of the urban local body election.