Karnataka: Cong MLA JN Ganesh denies hurting colleague Anand Singh, claims he slipped during quarrel
Congress struggles to keep its flock together.
In an ugly turn in the ongoing power game in Karnataka, a Congress MLA was injured in an alleged brawl with a colleague lawmaker at a resort even as the party issued notices to its four legislators who skipped a crucial CLP meeting amid BJP's alleged poaching attempt.
Anand Singh was hospitalised after he and J N Ganesh, both from Ballari district, had a heated argument and came to blows on Saturday night at the resort where the party MLAs are herded together, Congress sources said Sunday.
On Monday, JN Ganesh denied hurting Anand Singh. He claimed, "I did not hurt him. It is all a lie. If he's hurt, I along with my family will go and apologise to him". When asked to clarify what exactly happened, Ganesh said, "I, Anand Singh and Bheema Naik had a confrontation, we did not beat each other up. The quarrel snowballed. He (Anand Singh) slipped and he suffered few injuries".
In its notices to four MLAs on Sunday, the party sought to know why action should not be taken against them under the anti-defection law for not attending the Friday's Congress Legislature Party Meeting that was a show of strength against BJP's alleged bid to dislodge the ruling coalition.
Singh has "a black eye and suffered blunt injuries," according to sources at the private hospital where he is undergoing treatment. He had also complained of uneasiness in the chest but was now in the ward and "fine", they added.Ganesh is among the disgruntled Congress MLAs who was reportedly in touch with other dissidents in the party and on the BJP's radar in its alleged toppling game.Congress spokesperson and former Nizamabad MP Madhu Goud Yakshi said the scuffle was related to some business issue had nothing to do with politics.
"It was personal district related. They are all together in business. The scuffle has nothing to do with politics. They come from the same district and have business relations. It (the fight) is something related to that. It has nothing to do with politics," he said.
The two MLAs had the dinner together in his presence and everything was cordial but after he left the fight broke out, Yakshi told PTI.Bidadi police under whose jurisdiction the Eagleton resort is located, said they have not received any complaint so far.A posse of policemen have been deployed in front of the hospital with no visitor being allowed."We have not been allowed inside the hospital," Raghunath, a Congress MLA, said.
In a dig at the Congress, BJP tweeted, "It's unfortunate that @KPCCPresident was unable to stop the fight in Eagleton resort. We hope Anand Singh is being treated & we pray for his speedy recovery. Unfortunately @dineshgrao can't even blame BJP now, MLA's were locked up under his watch at Eagleton.Whats ur excuse now?"
With PTI inputs