New Delhi :
The Congress on Monday suspended its Karnataka MLA JN Ganesh from the party for assaulting another party MLA Anand Singh. Ganesh has been suspended from the party until the probe in the entire matter is over. The probe committee is headed by Deputy Chief Minister G. Parameshwara and Krishna Byre Gowda and KG George are the other members of the committee. Earlier, an FIR has been lodged against him on a complaint of Anand Singh in Bidadi Police Station on the charges of assault. On the basis of his complaint, the police has filed an FIR against JN Ganesh under the IPC sections 323, 324, 307, 504 and 506. Presently, Congress MLA Anand Singh is taking treatment in Apollo Hospital after the reports of an alleged brawl with Congress MLAs JN Ganesh and Bheema Naik.
In his statement to police, Anand Singh has said, "As per the instructions of the party, we were invited to Eagleton Resort to discuss the Lok Sabha elections and the drought situation. Even I was a part of this event. On 19-01-2019, Saturday night at the above-mentioned resort, I finished my dinner with all my MLA friends and colleagues. When I was heading towards a room with Kampli MLA Ganesh, he started to abuse me. He said that during the time of election you didn't help me with money, so I will kill your elder sister's son Sandeep. I objected to him and questioned him why he is talking about my family here but he became furious and he started to abuse me. Later he took a cane stick and started beating me and then pushed my face on the wall and asked for a pistol from his gunman and said that he will finish me and my political career. I fell down and he started to kick me on my chest and stomach. He started to punch me on my face and because of that my eyes and nose were injured. My entire face was swollen and started to lose my conscious. By then MLAs Tukaram, Raghumurty and Ramappa and Tanveer Sait rescued me from him. When I got my conscious I was in Apollo Hospital. I request you to take legal action against Kampli MLA Ganesh and provide me and my family adequate protection."
According to a statement issued by the Congress said that party leaders have conducted preliminary inquiry about the 'unpleasant' incident that happened on January 19 and have also collected information from Anand Singh.
According to some reports, Hosapete MLA Anand Singh and Kampli MLA JN Ganesh were indulged in a brawl on January 20 at Eagleton Resort with the former sustaining head injuries. The high-intensity political drama in Karnataka turned ugly on Sunday after Anand Singh was hit with a bottle on his head by JN Ganesh at Bengaluru’s Eagleton resort, where the Congress MLAs are holed up amid poaching fears by the BJP. The Congress party, however, denied the local media reports and said that Singh was hospitalised due to chest pain. "I don't know about the fight Anand Singh is admitted in hospital due to chest pain. There are no injuries or anything. His parents are here at the hospital. Other issues are just speculations," ANI quoted DK Suresh as saying.
Meanwhile, jittery Congress had shifted its legislators to the resort on Friday last, as it feared that the BJP might lure some of them in its alleged bid to destabilise the Congress-JDS coalition government in the state. The party had shifted its 76 MLAs after Congress legislature party (CLP). Four MLAs had skipped the meet.
The lawmakers who didn’t attend the meet are - Ramesh Jarkiholi - who was dropped as a minister in the recent cabinet rejig, B Nagendra, Umesh Jadhav, and Mahesh Kumatahalli. Later, the Congress had issued notice to MLAs asking why no action should be taken against them under the anti-defection law.
