H D Deve Gowda lures Altaf, Congress gets Patil to fight Guttedar

BENGALURU: Party hoppers are having a good time as political parties have thrown principles and ideologies to the wind in search of strong candidates to beat political rivals. It will actually be defector versus defector in several constituencies.

Within 48 hours after six-time Congress MLA from Afzalpur in Kalaburagi district Malikayya Guttedar joined the BJP, the grand old party hit back by netting senior BJP leader from the same constituency — M Y Patil.  Former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda, who has vowed to ensure the defeat of Zameer Ahmed Khan in Chamarajpet, has poached senior Congressman Altaf Khan.

M Y Patil, a two-time MLA from Afzalpur, quit the BJP and joined Congress in Bengaluru on Monday. Congress is almost certain to field him against Guttedar.“I have been fighting against Guttedar’s illegal liquor and sand business in Afzalpur for the past 30 years. I am hurt by BJP’s decision to give ticket to Malikayya Guttedar,” M Y Patil said. He joined the Congress in the presence of KPCC president G Parameshwara. “I rejected the BJP’s offer to make me an MLC,” he added.

The search of Deve Gowda for a candidate to “teach a lesson to Zameer Ahmed Khan,” who quit the JD(S) and joined the Congress recently, ended on Monday with Gowda netting Altaf Khan, a Congres ticket aspirant from Chamarajpet constituency. Speaking on the occasion Altaf Khan accused Zameer of betraying Deve Gowda and the JD(S). “I will expose the shady deals of Zameer and how he made `300 crore out of it,” Altaf said.

‘Chotu Sachin is more popular than lambu Bachchan’

Vowing to defeat Zameer, the well-built Altaf said, “You (Zameer) are just four-and-a-half feet, I am six-and-a-half feet. I will crush you.”An angry Zameer hit back within a few minutes, “Altaf has mocked me as a four-and-a-half foot short man. What is the height of Sachin Tendulkar? How tall is Amitabh Bachchan? Isn’t Sachin more popular than Bachchan,” Zameer countered.“No Muslim from Karnataka could beat me. I will win even if former Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir is fielded against me,” Zameer declared.

‘I WILL CHOP MY HEAD off IF DEFEATED’

Hitting out at JD(S) supremo HD Deve Gowda, Zameer said,”I will chop my head and place it at his (Gowda) feet if I am defeated in Chamarajpet.” He also challenged Altaf to prove his charge of `300 crore illegal deals. “I am ready for a CBI probe in this regard,” he said. Replying to a question, Zameer said the Congress high command will give ticket for all the seven JD(S) rebel MLAs who joined it recently.