In a bizarre series of events, two Karnataka MLAs from the Congress party were reported to have been involved in a brawl that led to the hospitalization of one of them. The fight broke out while the MLAs were holed up in a resort amidst news of ‘Operation Lotus’.
Now, J.N.Ganesh, the MLA who was reported to have hit Anand Singh with a bottle, has come out and denied the allegations against him and claimed that there was no scuffle between the MLAs.
He told reporters on Monday, “The high command has asked us to compromise and not to bicker among ourselves. There is no problem between us. We have come to an understanding. If their family is hurt, I would like to apologize to them. When we sat down for discussion, Bheema Nayak and Anand Singh indulged in a heated debate, but when I did not agree with their statements, it became an argument. We are all together. I don’t want to comment on who had consumed alcohol. The high command has made it clear that we should not do anything that will embarrass the party. I will do everything that my party asked me to do.”
Denying the allegations, he said, “No such incident has taken place. Anand Singh, Bhima Naik and I were talking when something happened. This is it. What happened is personal. But what is being shown is a complete lie. Even I was hurt but I didn’t say anything.”
Ganesh’s statements came after Singh’s wife threatened legal action against him. “I am at the Mumbai airport with my son and daughter, waiting for my flight to Bengaluru. I’m completely in the dark. After reading media reports, I have been continuously calling my husband. But he hasn’t answered. I am worried and tense. I am actually going out of my mind, not knowing what has happened. When my son called D K Shivakumar, the minister said that there was nothing wrong. Everybody is just telling us that he is fine. But I have seen in media that Ganesh has attacked my husband. If he attacked my husband, I will not spare him – I will not keep quiet. I will certainly initiate legal action against him. Our loyalty to the party is secondary,” she was reported to have told a Television channel.
The Congress had recently moved 76 of its 80 lawmakers to the Eagleton resort in Bengaluru amid fears of poaching by the BJP. Four of the Congress MLAs did not make it to the resort and also failed to attend the Congress legislature party meet on Friday. All the four MLAs have been sent a showcause notice by the Congress party. Recently, two independent MLAs, H Nagesh and R Shankar had withdrawn their support from the Karnataka government.
