CM Yediyurappa’s political secretary N R Santosh denies attempting suicide
Bengaluru, Nov 30: Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa's political secretary and relative N R Santosh denied attempting suicide, as he was discharged from the hospital on Monday.
Rejecting reports that he was hospitalised on Friday night following the alleged suicide attempt, the 31-year-old said he fell drowsy as he consumed one sleeping pill instead of half "by mistake".
"I want to clarify to everyone that three days ago there was a private family event...my cousin brother's marriage… due to some food related thing I had indigestion.
At that time by mistake I had taken a different medicine and due to an overdose I fell drowsy.
My wife got worried and rushed me to hospital and it has led to all these speculations," Santosh said.
Speaking to reporters after his discharge, he said it was a mistake and was nothing intentional.
Santosh said he normally takes sleeping tablets when he is unable to sleep.
"I used to take 0.02 mg. Instead of taking half a tablet, I took a whole one, leading to drowsiness, that's all."
Meanwhile, Ramaiah Memorial Hospital, where Santosh was undergoing treatment, said in a statement today that he was stable and all his parameters were satisfactory, following which he was discharged in the morning.
"He (Santosh), along with his family members, have been counselled to ensure he avoids all kinds of stress for the next few days.
He has been advised to follow-up after one week on OPD basis," the statement quoting Dr Naresh Shetty, President of the Hospital, said.
Doctors at the hospital had said on Saturday that he was brought in at about 8.30 pm on Friday with an alleged history of consumption of sleeping tablets and was subsequently shifted to the Intensive Care Unit
They said he had taken Alprazolam sleeping pills.
To a question on speculations that there was political pressure on him, Santosh said there are no days without it and he was not one who takes tablets for such things.
"I am not depressed. I have strong will power...There was no such pressure. No one had asked for my resignation. Why should someone ask for my resignation?," he asked.
Santosh, who is Yediyurappa's grand nephew, was appointed as the Chief Minister's political secretary in May this year.
He had also served as Yediyurappa's personal assistant when he was Leader of the Opposition and BJP state President.
Recently there were reports that Santosh may resign from the post of CM's political secretary, citing differences with a few people in Yediyurappa's inner circles.
Sadashivanagar police have registered an FIR against Santosh for allegedly attempting to kill himself and are likely to question him soon, sources said.
To a question, Santosh asked where it was mentioned in the FIR that he had taken 12 sleeping pills and said that he too had seen the report.
When reporters showed him the FIR copy, he said, "FIR means- first information received. Once I gained consciousness, I gave the right answer."
Hitting out at state Congress President D K Shivakumar for his remarks over the alleged suicide attempt, Santosh said this was not the first time he had spoken like this, as earlier, he had claimed that he (Santosh) had some diary.
"Maybe he has lost his mind after the recent bypoll defeat, especially in Rajarajeshwari Nagar," he said.
Asking Shivakumar to think before commenting on the Chief Minister, he threatened to mobilize one lakh people here on speaking lightly against him, as he asked Congress leaders to "get their state President admitted to a hospital or give him a break."
Shivakumar had on Saturday demanded a probe into the alleged suicide attempt to enable the truth come out, claiming that secret matters are linked to it.
He had alleged that some video which is 'personal' in nature might have led to the suicide attempt by Santosh as he was said to be upset about it, He also accused an MLC and a Minister of even 'blackmailing' the CM, without naming anyone.
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Surat LS candidate Nilesh Kumbhani whose nomination form was rejected suspended from Congress
Ahmedabad, Apr 25: The Gujarat Congress on Friday suspended from the party for six years its Surat Lok Sabha candidate Nilesh Kumbhani, whose nomination form was rejected over discrepancies leading to the BJP's Mukesh Dalal getting elected unopposed.
A statement from the Congress said the party's disciplinary committee decided to suspend Kumbhani after thorough discussion, adding it had come to the conclusion that the nomination form was rejected due to gross negligence on his part or "in connivance with the BJP".
"To be fair to you we have given time to you to explain your case but instead of coming before the party disciplinary committee you have gone incommunicado. After your form was rejected by the authorities, BJP went ahead and got form of other eight candidates withdrawn. This has deprived people of Surat their voting rights," the Congress disciplinary committee headed by Balu Patel said.
"People of Surat and party workers have become very angry due to your action and are expressing their anger in different ways. The Congress party has decided to suspend you for six years from the party," the press note said.
Kumbhani's nomination form was rejected on April 21 after his three proposers submitted affidavits to the district returning officer claiming the signatures on the document was not theirs.
The nomination form of Suresh Padsala, the Congress' substitute candidate from Surat, was also invalidated on the same grounds.
In his order, Returning Officer Sourabh Pardhi said the three nomination forms submitted by Kumbhani and Padsala were rejected after prima facie discrepancy was found in the signatures of the proposers and they did not appear to be genuine.
Kumbhani, a former corporator from Surat, had unsuccessfully fought the 2022 Assembly polls from Kamrej there.
The Bharatiya Janata Party's Mukesh Dalal was elected unopposed from Surat Lok Sabha constituency on April 22 after all other nominees, including one from BSP, withdrew from the fray one by one on the last day of withdrawing papers.
