Zameer invites Revanna’s son to join Congress

Zameer invites Revanna’s son to join Congress

Bengaluru: Former JD(S) leader Zameer Ahmed Khan on Saturday extended an invitation to H D Kumaraswamy’s nephew Prajwal Revanna to join the Congress.

Speaking to reporters after tendering his resignation as an MLA, Khan said that though Prajwal was an “asset” to the regional party, he had been sidelined by his own uncle, who was “threatened” by his political growth.

“Prajwal is welcome to join the Congress. I will myself speak to the Congress and get the matter (induction) cleared. I have always thought of him as a good worker – that he is a big asset to the JD(S). Though he has a bright future in the party, his own uncle Kumaraswamy is curbing his political prospects,” he said.

‘Farookh, a sacrificial lamb’

Khan also said that JD(S) supremo H D Deve Gowda had made a scapegoat out of JD(S) leader B M Farookh, twice, by fielding him in the Rajya Sabha elections, despite knowing the outcome of the polls beforehand.

JD(S) rebel MLAs resign; to join Congress on Sunday

Bengaluru: A day after voting in favour of the Congress in the Rajya Sabha polls, seven JD(S) rebel legislators on Saturday resigned as MLAs. They are likely to join the Congress in the presence of party president Rahul Gandhi in Mysuru on Sunday.

While Srirangapatna MLA Ramesh Bandisiddegowda had tendered his resignation to Speaker K B Koliwad on Friday itself, the remaining six – Zameer Ahmed Khan (Chamarajpet), N Cheluvarayaswamy (Nagamangala), Akhanda Srinivasmurthy (Pulakeshinagar), Bheema Naik (Hagaribommanahalli), Iqbal Ansari (Gangavathi) and H C Balaskrishna (Magadi) resigned from their memberships on Saturday.

After accepting their resignation, Koliwad said that MLAs had resigned on their own volition. Koliwad also said that the disqualification case pending before him had nothing to do with the resignation of the MLAs.

The JD(S) had petitioned the Speaker to disqualify the MLAs after they flouted the party whip and voted in favour of the Congress’s Rajya Sabha candidate K C Ramamurthy in the 2016 elections.

After the 2018 Rajya Sabha elections were announced on March 23, the party had urged the Speaker to dispose of the case, to ensure that the rebel MLAs did not indulge in cross-voting yet again. However, the Speaker reserved his orders, forcing the JD(S) to move the High Court, seeking disqualification of the MLAs.

Koliwad reiterated that he would require more time to dispose of the disqualification petition. “I have to merge the initial petition with the fresh petitions and look into the matter. This will require some more time. How I close the case is left to me,” he added.

Three disgruntled former JD(S) MLCs – M C Nanaiah, Sarovar Srinivas and B Ramakrishna – too will be joining the Congress on Sunday.