“Absconding” Congress MLA JN Ganesh, who is facing a case of attempt to murder for allegedly assaulting his colleague Anand Singh during a brawl at Eagleton Resort last week, has accused Singh of trying to end his political career besides threatening his family.
In a Facebook page, titled “Kampli Congress”, Ganesh, who has also been suspended from Congress, alleged that it was Singh who first attacked him and passed derogatory remarks against his family and caste.
Singh, MLA from Vijayanagar, was admitted in Apollo Hospital on Sunday morning after the brawl at the resort, where Congress legislators were kept amid fear of poaching attempts by BJP. A medical report from the hospital said he had suffered a “black eye, nasal blood clot, and tenderness over left lower chest”.
“I had no intention to hit Anand Singh who spoke ill about my caste. If I had to do that I could have done it when I was with him in the room for two to three hours. There was no such intention,” Ganesh said in the post.
Ganesh said three other party MLAs were witness to the incidents. “All these are known to all party leaders. The leaders said there was a mistake on both our part and both of us have embarrassed the party and called doctors for giving me first aid,” he further said.
Police have registered an FIR charging Ganesh with an attempt to murder on a complaint by Singh, who is recuperating.
In his complaint at Bidadi police station, in Ramanagara district, Singh stated that Ganesh accused him of stifling fund supply to him during last year’s Assembly elections, and of giving his nephew prominence when the MLAs from Bellary district were returning to their rooms after dinner on Saturday. He alleged that Ganesh attacked him subsequently, hitting his head on a wall and kicking him after he fell down.
According to sources in the party, the fight broke out after some MLAs insinuated that Singh had played a double game with them regarding offers to switch over to BJP while reporting dissident activities to Congress leaders at the same time.
Singh, Ganesh and Naik were among the seven Congress MLAs who went incommunicado last week, triggering fears of a BJP poaching bid.
