Senior advocate and Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) member T.S. Sathyananda was allegedly manhandled and prevented from attending a press conference by a group of people identified with Housing Minister M.H. Ambareesh in Mandya on Friday.
KPCC president G. Parameshwara had invited presspersons to brief them about Sonia Gandhi’s visit to Mandya, scheduled for September 30.
Meanwhile, a group of people, led by Chandrashekar alias “Amaravathi” Chandrashekar, a hotelier, allegedly threw chairs at Mr. Sathyananda and dragged him out of the venue.
Dr. Parameshwara, the former Ministers M.S. Atmananda and B.L. Shankar and the former MLA L.R. Shivaramegowda could not do much.
Thereafter, Dr. Parameshwara requested them to leave the hall. Consequently, Mr. Chandrashekar and his supporter, Belur Somashekar, rushed to Mr. Sathyananda and forced him to leave the place.
Mr. Chandrashekar, a close friend of Mr. Ambareesh, has been allegedly interfering in the functioning of the party and the district administration. Despite having an office, Mr. Ambareesh is said to be discharging his official duties from Mr. Chandrashekar’s hotel.
This has drawn severe criticism from the public, it is said.
Irked by this, Mr. Sathyananda and a few other Congress leaders had been opposing the “unnecessary interference” of Mr. Chandrashekar in the administration.
Recently, Mandya City Municipal Council member Hosahalli Boregowda had alleged that the hotelier had demanded Rs. 50 lakh to get him the MCC president’s post.
Mr. Sathyananda had reported the developments to the AICC recently. Mr. Ambareesh and Mandya MP Ramya arrived at the press conference venue after the attack.
Dr. Parameshwara told presspersons that the party would look into the matter.
“Manhandling and using foul language is not our (Congress) culture. The party will put an end to this in Mandya,” he said.
