Ex-BJP MLA U B Banakar joins Congress
Bengaluru, Nov 21: Former BJP MLA U B Banakar, who was sulking in his party for some time, on Monday joined the Congress along with his supporters.
Banakar, son of former Karnataka assembly speaker B G Banakar, hails from Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai's home district Haveri.
His entry into the Congress was on the cards ever since he resigned from the posts of Karnataka Warehouse Corporation chairman and the director of Veerashaiva Lingayat Development Corporation on November 9. Banakar had also resigned from the BJP's primary membership.
Banakar had been a loyalist of former chief minister B S Yediyurappa. He had first become MLA on a BJP ticket in 1994.
He had walked out of the BJP when Yediyurappa founded Karnataka Janata Paksha in 2013 ahead of the assembly election that year and won the assembly election against B C Patil (incumbent agriculture minister) from Hirekerur.
Banakar had been sulking in the party for being sidelined along with his supporters in Hirekerur.
Along with Banakar, JD(S) N T Srinivas too joined the Congress.
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“Mistake owing to communication gap,” MLA Yatnal clarifies over alleged derogatory speech on Prophet
Vijayapura: Vijayapura MLA Basanagouda Patil Yatnal has denied making any derogatory statement about Prophet Muhammad, clarifying that there was a misstatement during his speech at a Ram Navami event in Hubballi. "I did not speak about Prophet Muhammad. I meant to refer to Muhammad Ali Jinnah, but there was a mistake in the speed of speech," he said addressing reporters on Monday.
He alleged that members of the Congress, frustrated by their hooliganism and failure to collect their hafta (extortion) in Vijayapura are using the Prophet as an excuse to speak against me. “There is no culture of denigrating another religion in Hinduism. Our gurus and elders have not taught us that,” he said.
Responding to another controversy involving an audio clip in which he was allegedly threatened, Yatnal said the police are investigating the matter and that those behind it will soon be exposed. “No one can finish me. The Hindus of Karnataka are with me. If someone tries to finish me, the whole state will rise in protest,” he warned.
