Bengaluru: Though Assembly elections are 10 months away, Congress leaders have become busy in fighting among themselves to have an upper hand to showcase themselves as potential candidates to contest on Congress ticket to the State Assembly.
Two Congress leaders have commenced mudslinging against each other. They are fighting for CV Raman Nagar assembly seat. While one of them is P Ramesh who contested unsuccessfully against the present incumbent (BJP candidate S Raghu) in the last election, the other one is Madan Patel who recently defected from BJP. Ramesh was defeated by a margin of 8,419 votes by S Raghu.
Ramesh has been trying to strengthen grassroot workers of Congress for the last five years. He is expecting Congress to field him again in the next Assembly elections from CV Raman Nagar.
However, the sudden development that took place a few days ago had disturbed Ramesh. Supporters and well-wishers of Madan Patel are believed to have put up banners across CV Raman Nagar congratulating him for being appointed as general secretary and conveying best wishes to Dr G. Parameshwara on his birthday.
It was believed that supporters of Ramesh found it hard to digest and damaged all the banners that carry the photos of Madan Patel and Dr. G Parameshwara.
On Monday evening, Madan Patel had lodged a complaint with the police claiming that Ramesh had threatened him on Sunday evening. “Ramesh threatened me not to enter CV Raman Nagar. He also threatened me not to apply for Congress ticket from CV Raman Nagar. He used foul language. He told me to be careful. He has also mentioned about his supporters who would not hesitate to go to any extent to harm me,’’ Madan Patel said.
Patel has said that he had filed the complaint for his own safety. “The police have assured to conduct an inquiry into the incident in two to three days,’’ he said.
He has also said that he had lodged a complaint with the KPCC. “The KPCC president has assured me to look into the matter as soon as he returns to Bengaluru,’’ he said.
When contacted, P Ramesh has claimed that Madan Patel has been indulging in publicity gimmicks. “Patel’s history is not good. He was with BJP and later shifted loyalty to Congress. I, as a friend, advised him but never knew that he would record my conversation with him,’’ Ramesh said.
