The Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) on Monday suspended party MLA from Kampli J. N. Ganesh and ordered an inquiry into the brawl at the Eagleton Resort on Sunday night, which left Vijayanagar MLA B.S. Anand Singh injured and requiring hospitalisation.
The KPCC has set up a three-member committee, headed by Deputy Chief Minister G. Parameshwara to look into the issue. The panel includes Ministers K.J. George and Krishna Byre Gowda, a release said, adding that the panel had been asked to submit the report at the earliest.
The suspension comes hours after an FIR was filed against Mr. Ganesh by the Bidadi police over the incident. Senior Congress Minister D.K. Shivakumar, however, denied that Mr. Singh had been assaulted and claimed that all the Congress MLAs were united. Party spokesperson and former MP Madhu Goud Yakshi said the scuffle was related to some business issue and had nothing to do with politics.
Death threat
According to Mr. Anand Singh’s statement to the police, on Saturday night when he was returning to his room after dinner, “Kampli MLA Ganesh started hurling abuses at me, stating that during the time of elections I did not help with money.” Mr. Singh also alleged that Mr. Ganesh had threatened to kill him and his nephew Sandeep.
When Mr. Singh objected, Mr. Ganesh allegedly picked up a stick and a flower pot and attacked him. The Vijayanagar MLA said he sustained injuries and began to bleed profusely, according to the statement. Mr. Singh alleged that Mr. Ganesh asked for a pistol from his gunman in an attempt to kill, while continuing to rain blows. Mr. Singh said other MLAs E. Tukaram, T. Raghumurty, S. Ramappa and Tanveer Sait, who were present, rushed to his help and rescued him.
MLAs leave resort
Later on Monday, the over 70 Congress legislators, who have been staying at a resort on the outskirts of Bengaluru since Friday following a CLP meeting, left for their home constituencies, a party leader said.
“All the MLAs left the resort to return to their constituencies,” Congress State unit chief Dinesh Gundu Rao told the media here.
(With inputs from PTI, IANS)