In an embarrassing turn of events for the Karnataka Congress, two MLAs from Ballari district were involved in an alleged brawl early on Sunday at a resort on the city outskirts where the party, jittery about the alleged poaching moves of the BJP, is keeping its flock together.
The brawl left Vijayanagar MLA B.S. Anand Singh injured and he was later admitted in a private hospital in Bengaluru.
The two MLAs — Mr. Singh and Kampli MLA J.N. Ganesh — who attended the legislature party meeting on Saturday night, were having a chat after the meeting, along with a few other legislators.
The dinner party, which went on till about 1 a.m. on Sunday, came to a halt when the brawl broke out between Mr. Singh and Mr. Ganesh, Congress sources said.
Congress legislators are at the resort near Bidadi since Friday after the legislature party meeting decided to keep them sequestered to prevent any attempts by the BJP to poach them.
Karnataka : Bengaluru : 18/01/2019 . ( File Pic ) Ganesh , MLA of Kampli arriving for the Congress Legisltors party meeting at Vidhana Soudha in Bengaluru on 18th January 2019 . Photo : Bhagya Prakash K / The Hindu
The verbal altercation turned violent with both the MLAs pushing each other. Mr. Ganesh allegedly hit Mr. Singh with a bottle, taking people around by surprise. Hagaribommanahalli MLA Bhima Naik intervened and separated the two. Mr. Singh, who was in pain, was quickly moved to a hospital in the city in a car, sources said.
Incidentally, both three-time MLA Mr. Singh and the first-time legislator Mr. Ganesh, have been seen in the Congress rebel camp after the JD(S)-Congress coalition was formed. Sources in the Congress said that the two were involved in casual conversation before the fight. “Most people had left the place when the altercation broke out.” Sources said the conversation between the two legislators turned agitated over differences that they had in some constituency-related work.
“Mr. Ganesh had resented the alleged interference by Mr. Singh’s family members in Kampli,” sources said.
“Mr. Singh was brought to the hospital with a black eye, blunt injuries and discomfort in chest. Scans have been done to identify any potential clot. He is injured but out of danger,” a hospital source said.
“These injuries could have been caused by an assault,” the source said, adding that he is recuperating in the ward and is under observation.
No complaint
However, so far, no complaint has been filed. Mr. Singh’s wife Lakshmi told a news channel that she would take legal action against Mr. Ganesh if the report of the assault was true. While she is still in Hosapete, Mr. Singh's parents visited him in the hospital. A Congress source said: “We have left the decision to file a police complaint with Mr. Singh. It is up to him to decide.”
The incident also saw supporters of Mr. Singh taking to the streets in his constituency to protest the attack.
Superintendent of Police (Bengaluru Rural) B. Ramesh said Bidadi police had received the medico-legal case (MLC) report from the Seshadripuram police. They have been instructed to take a statement of the victim (Mr. Singh) and file a case, he said.
According to the medico-legal register. Mr. Singh had a traumatic injury to his head, his face, and the left side of his chest. He was also complaining of a headache and pain on the left side of the chest. The register also mentions nasal blood clots.
