‘She is the daughter of Mandya’: Ending speculation, Cong workers back Sumalatha

Lok Sabha 2019

Disgruntled Congress party workers from all eight assembly segments of Mandya openly supported Sumalatha.

Theja Ram

Thousands of supporters had gathered at the Silver Jubilee Grounds in Karnataka’s Mandya on Wednesday as Sumalatha Ambareesh was all set to kick start her election campaign. Amidst such bountiful support, a stark and shocking shift was witnessed in Mandya’s political scenario. Congress party workers, including local Mandya district Congress strongmen Sachidananda Induvala and Ananth Kumar, took part in independent candidate Sumalatha’s the rally and addressed the gathering at Silver Jubilee Grounds. “I applaud all the self-respecting Congress party workers, who are here today,” Sachidananda said as he began his speech,”When Ambareesh had passed away, all the Congress party workers from the eight assembly segments in Mandya, and Ambareesh’s fans, had gone to meet Sumalatha and her son Abhishek. We asked her not to leave us in lurch.” Over a month ago, Sumalatha – wife of late legendary actor and three-time Congress MLA Ambareesh – had announced her aspiration to contest the election. And soon, she decided to tour Mandya and hold public consultations before making her decision. Sumalatha had also approached the Congress party, which her late husband was a part of. To her dismay, the Congress refused her a ticket as the party was bound to support the JD(S) due to the pre-poll alliance. The coalition is currently fielding Nikhil Gowda, Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy’s, son as the candidate from Mandya. “So many people made distasteful comments against Suma akka,” Sachidananda said, “They said she was inhospitable, that she has political ambitions despite the fact that her husband died. ‘So what if she has the film industry, we will bring in more people,’ the opposition said. But she did not let the vitriol stop her. Because of the love she has shown us, all the self-respecting Congress leaders and fans of Ambareesh have come here willingly to support her.” Sachidananda said that the Congress party offered Sumalatha many alternatives. He claimed that the party had offered her a ticket to contest either in Bengaluru South or in Mysuru. When Sumalatha rejected these offers, she was allegedly offered an MLC post and was also promised a ministerial berth. “She did not give into greed and decided to contest from Mandya. Ambareesh resigned from his post as Union Minister for the cause of Mandya’s farmers. Today, Suma akka is a representative for everyone in Mandya, especially the women of this area. She is the daughter of Mandya. If we have to ensure that there is adequate representation for women and people of Mandya in Delhi, we must elect her,” he added. Although Sachidananda may be an ordinary member of the party and a local leader, whose influence does not stretch beyond a few taluks in Mandya, what is of significance is that the speculation regarding Congress party workers being disgruntled came to an end on Wednesday. By openly supporting Sumalatha, the rebel Congress party workers have made it clear that supporting a JD(S) candidate would mean the demise of the Congress party in the region. The rivalry between Congress and JD(S) is a historical one. For over two decades, the politics in Mandya has always surrounded Congress-JD(S) rivalry. Several villages in Mandya identify themselves as supporters of either Congress or JD(S). In such a backdrop, Congress and JD(S) forged an alliance ahead of the Lok Sabha elections and JD(S) was given a ticket to contest the polls from Mandya. All of a sudden, party workers of Congress and JD(S) were forced to unite. With decades of bitterness brewing between the two parties, Congress workers felt abandoned. Soon after Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy’s son Nikhil Gowda was announced as the candidate from Mandya, Congress party workers began rebelling against the party’s decision. The disgruntled workers from all the eight Assembly segments have now come together to openly support Sumalatha, and Sachidananda’s statement could be seen as a reflection of the same. With the leaders unable to motivate their own party workers, the question is, will the pre-poll alliance cause untold damage to both Congress and JD(S)?

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Police arrest man who shared viral ‘encounter Janardhan Poojary’ audio clip last year

Crime

Upset with Poojary lending support to the Ram Mandir, Hakeen Puttur had shared an audio clip calling for the leader to be ‘encountered and killed’ in December 2018.

Arza Safiya

Janardhan Poojary

The Mangaluru City police arrested the man who had allegedly demanded ‘encounter’ of former Union Minister Janardhan Poojary in an audio clip back in December 2018. The accused, Hakeem Puttur, is a native of Puttur in Dakshina Kannada. He is employed in Dubai and was nabbed on Tuesday morning, when he landed at Mangaluru International Airport. The controversial audio clip, allegedly containing Hakeem’s voice, went viral in December last year, after Janardhan Poojary supported the construction of Ram Mandir in Ayodhya at an event in Kudroli Temple. Poojary had said, "Magnificent Ram Mandir will be constructed in Ayodhya. There is no need to have a doubt in this regard. No one, regardless of political party or religious affiliation, will object to the construction of Ram Mandir. Even Muslims and Christians are in favour of building the Ram Mandir. So, the building of Ram Mandir in Ayodhya is 100% sure.” Poojary’s statements had triggered controversy with some had lauding him and others expressing resentment. Upset with Poojary’s comments, Hakeem had shared the clip in a WhatsApp group, from where it went viral. “All those people who give statements like 'we will build Ram Mandir at any cost', even when the case is at the Supreme Court, should be encountered and killed,” the audio clip said. He also urged the Muslim community to not support Congress until the veteran leader was suspended. He believed that Poojary has been identified with RSS leaders. Mangalore (South) legislator JR Lobo had filed a police complaint over the voice message and sought a detailed probe. The cybercrime police had traced the clip to Hakeem Puttur within a week after it went viral. The Kavoor police had booked a case against Hakeem under IPC 504 (intentionally trying to provoke breach of the peace) and IPC 507 (criminal intimidation) in December 2018. However, at the time Hakeem was working in Dubai. The police had been awaiting his arrival to India since then. The court has remanded Hakeem to judicial custody.  

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Election Commission bans movies of Nikhil Gowda and Sumalatha on Doordarshan till polls

Lok Sabha 2019

The order was issued by the Deputy Commissioner and Returning Officer of the Mandya Parliamentary segment.

TNM Staff

It’s a battle between movie stars in Mandya-  Veteran actor and wife of rebel star Ambareesh – Sumalatha, is taking on young actor and Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy’s son Nikhil Gowda at Mandya Lok Sabha constituency.   The Election Commission on Wednesday banned screening of movies starring Sumalatha and Nikhil Gowda on Doordarshan till April 18, the day Mandya goes to polls. The order was issued by the Deputy Commissioner and Returning Officer of the Mandya Parliamentary segment N Manjushree. The ban, however, is not applicable to these films being screened in movie theatres and private TV channels. Sumalatha, veteran South Indian actor, has starred in numerous films in Kannada, Telugu and Malayalam. Nikhil, a newbie to Sandalwood has two films to his credit - Jaguar and Seetharama Kalyana. The battle in Mandya has intensified, especially since top movie starts with considerable influence in Old Mysuru region like Yash, Darshan and Puneet Rajkumar have offered their support to Sumalatha. Sumalatha, who is contesting as an independent, is up against the JD(S), a party that won all eight state Assembly segments in the region. She is also being openly supported by Congress party workers, despite the fact that the Congress and JD(S) have formed a pre-poll alliance. The BJP workers too are supporting Sumalatha, albeit indirectly. JD(S) insiders say that this has angered Nikhil Gowda’s parents – CM Kumaraswamy and Anitha Kumaraswamy, the MLA of Ramanagara. Nikhil, who is a rookie in politics, is banking on the goodwill his grandfather HD Deve Gowda carries in the region. However, party insiders say that the fight will be a tough one as Sumalatha is riding on a sympathy wave. This was doubly evident when hundreds of fans of her late husband Ambareesh carried out a bike rally on Wednesday when she filed her nomination. Sumalatha’s supporters were carrying placards of Ambareesh and shouting slogans in her support ahead of the public meeting she was slated to address in Mandya.     

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Amidst massive fanfare and support, Sumalatha files nomination from Mandya LS seat

Lok Sabha 2019

Thousands of supporters including local Congress workers gathered outside the Deputy Commissioner's office in Mandya in a show of strength for Sumalatha.

TNM Staff

Thousands of people gathered outside the Deputy Commissioner’s office in Karnataka’s Mandya as Sumalatha Ambareesh filed her nomination on Wednesday for the upcoming Lok Sabha polls. Sumalatha, an actor and wife of Sandalwood star and former three-time Congress MLA and one-time MP Ambareesh, is contesting as independent candidate. She is up against Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy’s son Nikhil Gowda in Mandya, who is the candidate for the JD(S)—Congress alliance. This, however, did not stop Congress leaders from Mandya and several party workers waived the Congress flag and shouted “Sumalatha Jai” as she drove in to file her nomination papers. Fans of the late Ambareesh, Congress party workers, several leaders from the Dalit, Adivasi and minority communities as well as members of the Karnataka Rajya Raitha Sangha had gathered outside the DC’s office when Sumalatha filed her nomination. The song Mandyada Gandu, one of the most popular ones from Ambareesh’s film, was blaring loudly on the speakers as Sumalatha walked in to file her nomination.  Sumalatha had visited the Chamundi Temple in Mysuru before arriving in Mandya to file the nomination papers. Speaking to the media, Sumalatha said, “Whenever Ambareesh would come to file his nomination, I would be there with him. Today, when I am filing my nomination, he is with me.” Fans of Ambareesh began a bike rally from the Deputy Commissioner’s office and made their way to Silver Jubilee Park in Mandya, where she was slated to address a gathering.  After filing her nomination, Sumalatha began her road show, with actors Yash and Darshan flanking her on either side. “Dheera! Dheera! (brave one)” and “Sumalatha Jai” were being yelled as Sumalatha’s rally vehicle made its way to the Silver Jubilee Park. Supporters held placards of Sumalatha along with those of Ambareesh, actors Yash and Darshan as the rally began. The mood was jubilant and the rally was a show of strength as Sumalatha is contesting as an independent, who is up against the might of the Deve Gowda family in their bastion – Mandya. Sources in JD(S) say that the party has deployed its party workers to keep an eye on rebel Congress leaders and party workers who are supporting Sumalatha and push for action against them. “We want the Congress to take action against them as they are going against the coalition,” a JD(S) leader said. Congress insiders also say that the support for Sumalatha has come as a shocker to many in the JD(S) and the party now has cause for concern in the region. “During the Assembly elections, Ambareesh was not happy about the way Congress leaders treated him. He was snubbed by Siddaramaiah. He had helped the JD(S) indirectly, which is why the party won all eight Assembly segments. What we did not expect was the leaders of several Dalit, Adivasi and Minority groups to rally behind her. She is going behind the Ahinda (a Kannada acronym for minorities, OBCs and Dalits) votes. This will mean that the JD(S) vote bank has been broken and the fight will be tough,” a Congress leader said. Soon after Sumalatha began her roadshow, JD(S) MLA from KR Pete Narayana Gowda warned Sandalwood actors who were supporting Sumalatha. Speaking to party workers on Wednesday, Narayana Gowda said, “It’s because of the people who buy movie tickets that the cinema industry is flourishing. Those in the film industry must respect the people. If they continue to go against us (referring to JD(S)), we will begin an investigation into how they earned so much money. We are running the government, so stay at home respectfully.” Narayana Gowda’s statement comes in the wake of the Sandalwood film fraternity offering its support to Sumalatha. Actors Yash and Darshan have announced that they will actively campaign for her. Actors Sudeep and Puneet Rajukumar have also expressed solidarity with Sumalatha. 

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An unfortunate coalition: Have both JD(S) and Congress dug their own grave?

Lok Sabha 2019

With Congress and JD(S) party workers refusing to work together, will it pave way for the BJP to conquer the coalition's bastions?

Sowmya Aji

Former Mandya MP Ambareesh’s wife Sumalatha has given the Congress-JD(S) alliance in Karnataka a breather, by deciding to contest as an independent from Mandya in the upcoming Lok Sabha polls. Despite her announcement on Monday, Sumalatha is facing intense persuasion to formally join the BJP and contest as its candidate. The fight for Mandya is significant as the region has been at the heart of the mind-numbing rivalry between the Congress and the JD(S), and its predecessor, the Janata Dal, for the last two-and-a-half decades. Mandya is located in the centre of the Cauvery river basin, dominated by Vokkaligas – the second largest community (after the more populous Lingayats) in the state, whose fierce caste pride is a matter of legend. For decades, the politics in this region has surrounded the battle between two tall leaders – JD(S) supremo HD Deve Gowda representing the anti-Congress/Janata Dal side, and Congress heavyweight SM Krishna. In the run up to the Karnataka Assembly elections in 2018, the political scenario here saw a major shift when SM Krishna used trenchant words against Rahul Gandhi, praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and joined the BJP. The scene changed yet again after the 2018 elections, when Congress and JD(S) leaders decided they could bury the hatchet and forge a friendship. Unbelievable instances followed this decision, when Congress strongman and a former SM Krishna mentee, DK Shivakumar, held hands with Deve Gowda’s son HD Kumaraswamy to portray that he had buried his burning hatred for the father-son duo. This, however, has left Mandya and its surrounding districts of Hassan, Mysuru, Bengaluru Rural, Ramanagaram, and Tumakuru in complete turmoil. “It is okay for the leaders,” a block-level JD(S) leader said, immediately after the coalition government was formed, “But what about us? We have fought the Congress party and its workers tooth and nail every election as far back as I can remember. Murders have been committed, we can’t visit each other’s villages, family members don’t speak to each other because of our political loyalties. How can this vanish overnight?” With Sumalatha announcing her candidature, she has emerged as an alternative for the Congress party workers to support instead of the coalition’s candidate, Kumaraswamy’s son HK Nikhil Gowda. And the grand old party, by officially supporting NIkhil, is risking shifting of its party apparatus, lock, stock and barrel, to Sumalatha. She is also being formally supported by SM Krishna and the few BJP workers in the district, besides by the fans of her extremely popular husband, who had consistently resisted going to the BJP. Some of the shift in Mandya’s political scenario was evident when the coalition put up a JD(S) candidate in the 2018 Mandya Lok Sabha bye-poll. The coalition candidate LR Shivarame Gowda of the JD(S) won by a margin of over 2 lakh votes. What amazed the people in political circles was that Shivarame Gowda's BJP opponent, a doctor named Siddaramaiah, gained over 2 lakh votes in a constituency where the BJP has no political presence. The only explanation for this was that disgruntled Congress workers had supported Siddaramaiah, as they could not stomach supporting a JD(S) candidate. Both the Congress and JD(S) leadership are aware that they are ceding space to the BJP in the upcoming election to set up a base in the Cauvery basin. The saffron party has already gained a foothold in Hassan, another JD(S) bastion, along with Mysuru and Chamarajanagar segments. Mandya and Bengaluru Rural – the fortresses of the Gowda family – were the two other districts where the BJP’s presence was almost laughable. Until now. In Hassan, the strongest Congress leader – A Manju – has moved over to the BJP as he is unwilling to support the coalition’s official candidate, another of Gowda’s grandsons, Prajwal Revanna. A Manju’s move comes with the fear of losing both his face and base in the region. He is tipped to be the official BJP candidate from the Hassan segment. In Bengaluru Rural, the seat is wide open for the Congress’s DK Suresh to grab. But the BJP is likely to increase its footprint this time around for the same reason – the JD(S) leaders in Bengaluru Rural are unwilling to support their arch rival, the Congress. In addition, the BJP candidate, Muniraju Gowda, got 4 lakh votes in the 2014 Lok Sabha polls as the party’s candidate in Bengaluru Rural, second only to DK Suresh. Bets are still on that the coalition’s candidates could win Mandya, Hassan, and Bengaluru Rural. However, it may play havoc with constituencies like Mysuru-Kodagu, which is currently being held by the BJP. If Congress and JD(S) leaders can work together – a scenario currently unimaginable to workers in both parties – politics and power could win as their combined might is more than the BJP. But as minister and JD(S) legislator Sa Ra Mahesh has already warned, unless the Congress cooperates with the JD(S) in Mandya, they cannot expect cooperation in other districts. Letting go of Tumakuru is still a very bitter pill for the Congress to swallow as the seat is currently held by the party’s Muddahanume Gowda. It is, however, an outright JD(S) stronghold and the Gowdas have demanded it as their right. The constituency usually votes out the incumbent and the JD(S) leadership has pointed it out to the Congress that it is their “turn to win.” And the Congress has ceded to the demand, much to the fury of party workers in the district. Again, the BJP is the likely beneficiary from the differences between the alliance partners. “We are taking a huge gamble and going for this alliance in the hope that all secular forces will unite against the BJP. It could prove counterproductive in some cases, but we don’t seem to have a choice,” a senior Congress leader rued. Whether the gamble is worth the costs, especially in other districts like Vijayapura and Udupi-Chikmagalur, is uncertain. Especially since Congress workers are said to be furious with the party leadership for handing over these seats to the JD(S), where it has lesser presence than them. But what does emerge clearly in this scenario, is that the BJP has managed what it has only dreamed of so far: a solid entry into the Congress-JD(S) strongholds of Southern Karnataka. Sowmya Aji is a political journalist who has covered Karnataka for 26 years  

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Actor Pooja Gandhi, BJP politician face police complaint for not clearing hotel bill

Controversy

Pooja Gandhi, a Kannada actor, however alleged that the complaint for was filed with the intention to malign her reputation and that she had nothing to do with the dues owed to the Bengaluru hotel.

TNM Staff

Actor Pooja Gandhi found herself in a spot of bother when the security manager of The Lalit Ashok, a luxury hotel in Bengaluru, filed a complaint against her and a BJP politician Anil P Menasinakai for pending bills running up to Rs. 3.35 lakh. On March 11, a complaint was made at the High Grounds Police Station after the security manager claimed that Pooja and her friend Anil fled the hotel without paying the full bill. The security manager alleged that Pooja and Anil had fled the hotel without paying the complete bill after staying along with a film crew in March and April 2017. While Rs. 22,83,129 was paid over time till 2018, the remaining Rs. 3.35 lakh was yet to be paid when the security manager of the hotel decided to approach the police on March 11.  The police took up a non-cognisable report (NCR) case based on the complaint however Anil's associates rushed to the hotel to settle the dues on Tuesday following the complaint, as per Deccan Herald.   Pooja alleged that the complaint was filed with the intention to malign her and that she had nothing to do with the dues owed to the hotel. "I stayed at the hotel for a while during the pre-production of JD Chakravarthy’s movie, and paid the service bill through my credit card. When I came to know about the false case, I contacted Bhaskar, general manager of the hotel, and he agreed that there was miscommunication over the development. I know Anil Menasinakai as he is a politician but I am nowhere connected with paying the bill of the hotel. It is a clear intention to tarnish my image,” Pooja Gandhi said speaking to The New Indian Express.  Pooja Gandhi is a Kannada actor who shot to fame after debuting in the commercially successful film Mungaaru Male in 2006. She has acted in more than fifty films including Milana, Accident, and Dandupalya. She has also acted in Hindi, Bengali, Malayalam and Telugu films. 

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Two dead, 28 injured after building collapse in Dharwad, rescue operations continue

Building collapse

Three survivors of the incident are critical while others sustained injuries in the incident.

TNM Staff

Two people were killed and over 40 others were rescued after a multi-storey commercial building under construction collapsed in Dharwad in Karnataka on Tuesday. Three survivors of the incident are critical while others sustained injuries in the incident and are currently being treated at the Civil Hospital in Dharwad. Rescue operations were led by 10 ambulances, 5 earthmovers and 20 fire officials who rushed to the spot as the news of the building collapse spread at around 3:30 pm on Tuesday afternoon. A five-member team from Bengaluru and a team of NDRF officials were flown in from Lucknow to help rescue efforts.   Rescue operations continued on Wednesday morning to find the remaining persons trapped under the debris of the building.  I am closely monitoring rescue work at the #Dharwad building collapse site.A special 25member NDRF team is being brought for the rescue operations frm Lucknow by a special flight.A 5-member team of experts from Bengaluru is on site& another 25-member team will soon reach the spot — H D Kumaraswamy (@hd_kumaraswamy) March 19, 2019 Congress leader Vinay Kulkarni's father-in-law Gangadhar Shintry was one of the owners of the building which was under construction. The owners had obtained a partial completion certificate from the Hubballi-Dharwad Municipal Corporation. The first two floors of the building had several shops including a photostat shop, tea shop and a restaurant, which were operational at the time of the incident. The floors above were still being constructed and the reason for the collapse remains unclear. 

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