Cong MLA injured in brawl with colleague

Bengaluru, January 20 

In an ugly turn to the ongoing political drama in Karnataka, a Congress MLA has been hospitalised after being allegedly injured during a brawl with a party lawmaker, who is reportedly under the BJP radar, at a resort on the city outskirts.

The incident occurred late yesterday night at the resort where the Congress MLAs are hunkered down since Friday in a move to keep the flock together against alleged bid to topple the ruling coalition by BJP, according to Congress sources.

Hospet MLA Anand Singh was admitted to a private hospital after he and Kampli legislator JN Ganesh, both from Ballari district, had a heated argument and came to blows, they said.  Singh had “a black eye and suffered blunt injuries,” according to sources at the 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, planning to switch to the BJP. “It was personal, district-related. They are all together in the 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,” said Congress spokesperson and former Nizamabad MP Madhu Goud Yakshi. — PTI 

Notices to four who skipped CLP meeting 

The Congress in Karnataka on Sunday issued notices to its four MLAs seeking explanation from them for their absence at the Legislature Party meeting, asking why no action should taken against them under the anti-defection law. The notices were sent to Ramesh Jarkiholi, B Nagendra, Umesh Jadhav and Mahesh Kumatahalli.