Kumaraswamy breaks down while campaigning
Bengaluru, Nov 27: Former Karnataka Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy turned emotional on Wednesday ruing that the people of Mandya deserted him by defeating his son Nikhil Kumaraswamy in the Lok Sabha election this year.
He was campaigning for the JD(S) candidate B L Devaraju who is contesting the December 5 assembly bypolls from the KR Pet constituency.
The people of Mandya have deserted me. I never wanted my son to contest the election but because of your insistence I fielded him, said Kumaraswamy as he broke down during a public meeting at Kikkeri village in Mandya district.
The KR Pet segment became vacant following the disqualification of K C Narayana Gowda of JDS by the then speaker K R Ramesh Kumar.
In July this year, 17 MLAs were disqualified by Kumar based on the complaint of Congress and JD(S) after their absence and resignation from the assembly during the trust vote leading to the collapse of then H D Kumaraswamy-led government.
After the court allowed the disqualified MLAs to contest the polls, the BJP fielded Gowda from the same seat.
In a choked voice and wiping his tears repeatedly with his handkerchief, Kumaraswamy said I am not crying because of losing power but it is only the expression of the pain I have gone through.
What wrong I have done to the people of the state?
Kumaraswamys son and JD(S) supremo H D Deve Gowdas grandson Nikhil was defeated from Mandya by actress and popular Kannada film star Ambareeshs widow Sumalatha Ambareesh, who fought as an independent candidate.
Kumaraswamy said he was not worried about his son losing the election but was anguished that the people of Mandya, whom he trusted the most, deserted him.
The post of chief minister is nothing for me. I need your love and affection and nothing else, said Kumaraswamy before bursting into tears.
The JD(S) leader said he was in the politics only to serve the poor and downtrodden.
Explaining the circumstances in which he was made the chief minister for 14 months, the former chief minister said Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi had compelled him to take up the role when the 2018 Assembly elections threw up a hung assembly.
However, the 14 months tenure was not an easy one.
To tell you the truth, I neither worked peacefully from day one, nor had proper sleep, Kumaraswamy told the crowd.
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Akash Singh says signature celebration fuels motivation, reinforces dominance
Lucknow (PTI): Pacer Akash Singh caught the eye with his unique celebration during Lucknow Super Giants' win over Chennai Super Kings, pulling out a piece of paper from his pocket after a wicket, a gesture he said was aimed at "motivating" himself and "asserting dominance" over batters.
The left-arm pacer pulled out a scrappy piece of paper after each of the three wickets he took in LSG seven-wicket win over CSK, with the message reading: "Akki on fire -- Akash knows how to take wickets in T20 cricket.
The 24-year-old, who began his IPL journey with Rajasthan Royals and was part of Chennai Super Kings’ title-winning campaign in 2023 before moving to Lucknow Super Giants, registered his best IPL figures with 3 for 26 on Friday.
"'Akki knows how to take wickets in T20 cricket', right?" Akash said when asked about the message on the piece of paper, adding that it serves as a source of motivation and helps him focus on dominating batters and delivering stronger performances for the team.
"Different things motivate different people. Some days I show the paper, some days I don't, but it reflects my mindset on that particular day. When you carry a piece of paper with something written on it, you manifest things and the most important part is when those manifestations actually materialise," he added.
Akash, who hails from Bharatpur in Rajasthan, said the strong backing from the Lucknow Super Giants support staff over the last two years had played a huge role in his growth as a cricketer.
"I've been with LSG for two years and the most important thing has been the backing from the coaches, even when I'm not in the playing XI. This year we have Bharat Arun sir, last year Zaheer sir was there...Tom Moody. The way they guide us, prepare us and keep us ready for opportunities is very important when there are 25 players in the squad," he said.
"When you are not playing, you naturally seek backing and every player wants to make the most of the opportunities he gets. The support from the captain also matters a lot and with Rishabh bhaiya backing you, the confidence grows and you are able to perform better," Akash said, referring to Rishabh Pant.
Akash said Pant had asked him to trust his strengths ahead of the clash against CSK.
"He told me that the new ball is my strength and that I can swing it both ways. So I just tried to make the best use of my skills. The wicket also had good bounce, so I focused on using the bouncer effectively,” added Akash.
On his success against CSK, Akash said his experience of playing in the IPL since 2020, including a stint with CSK, helped him understand the opposition batters better, while backing his own strengths with the ball also played a key role in his impressive spell.
"Obviously, when you play in the IPL and have shared the dressing room with some players, you understand their strengths and weaknesses. My focus was first to back my own strengths, then exploit their weaknesses and also make the best use of what the wicket was offering," Akash said.
Akash said he had sensed over the last two-three games that an opportunity could come his way after being repeatedly told to "be ready", though he admitted he was unfortunate not to get a chance earlier.
"Two days before the match, during practice, I was told to be ready," he said.
Clarifying that he had not been carrying the piece of paper in anticipation, Akash said he often notes down thoughts that could help improve his game..
"Whenever I’m alone or about to sleep, any thought that comes to my mind which can help my cricket, I write it down. The other night I got this thought and jotted it down on paper," he added.
