Karnataka: Congress meeting to decide opposition leader sees many claimants to post
Bengaluru, Oct 6: Factionalism in the Karnataka unit of the Congress came to the fore on Sunday with a meeting convened by senior party leader Madhusudan Mistry to decide the leader of the opposition seeing many contenders staking claim for the post.
The meeting in a private hotel to decide on who would be the leader of the opposition saw many contenders staking claim for the coveted post, Congress sources told PTI.
With just four days left for the three-day assembly session starting from October 10, Congress, the principal opposition party has not yet decided its leader in the Assembly to take on the ruling BJP.
Besides former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, who was the Congress Legislative Party leader during the tenure of the erstwhile Congress-JD(S) coalition government, former minister H K Patil and former deputy Chief Minister Dr G Parameshwara were among those who laid claim for the post, the sources said.
While some legislators backed Siddaramaiah as the opposition leader, others objected to it, especially former Lok Sabha member K H Muniyappa.
After the meeting Patil told reporters that Mistry had a discussion with the leaders on selecting the Congress leader in the Assembly as well as strengthening the organisation and internal democracy.
"He (Mistry) sought the opinions of all the individuals separately.
Mistry was the in charge of the Karnataka Congress. He understands the prevailing situation in the state. He will submit a report to our party president Sonia Gandhi," Patil said.
Patil said whatever decision the senior leadership takes would be binding on all party leaders in Karnataka.
Muniyappa said he had given suggestions to Mistry that are in the best interest of the party.
Asked whether long time Congress workers would be given preference, Muniyappa took a dig at Siddaramaiah, who joined the party from JD(S), asking how was he expected to respond when a 'newcomer' was made chief minister.
Siddaramaiah was previously with the JD(S) and joined the Congress after he was expelled from the party.
Muniyappa's differences with the former Chief Minister widened recently when the two had a bitter verbal spat at a recent meeting.
A former union minister, Muniyappa reportedly accused Siddaramaiah of hatching a conspiracy to defeat him in the recent Lok Sabha election from Kolar.
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UP: Fake IAS officer marries woman, flees with Rs 15 lakh dowry
Gorakhpur (UP) (PTI): A newly married man fled with the Rs 15 lakh given to him as dowry by the bride's family, and it came to light later that he was an alleged serial scammer, police said on Sunday.
The accused, identified as Pritam Kumar Nishad from Etawah, allegedly posed as an IAS officer to deceive the woman into marrying him. He is currently absconding with his sister, and a case has been filed against him for cheating, dowry harassment, and forgery, officials said.
According to the police, the woman's family claimed that they spent nearly Rs 30 lakh for the wedding that was solemnised on March 11.
The match was arranged through a matrimonial group, where the accused introduced himself as an IAS officer, sharing purported interview clips, office visuals, and photographs with politicians to gain the family's trust.
Despite initially claiming he would marry without dowry, the accused allegedly demanded Rs 15 lakh shortly before the engagement. The bride's family paid Rs 10 lakh in cash during the engagement and the remaining Rs 5 lakh on the wedding day, the police said.
The fraud came to light on Saturday after the woman reached Etawah, and a wedding attendee informed the family that the accused was not a civil servant. When her relatives visited the address provided by him, they found her in a small rented room, while the accused and his sister had fled, the police added.
The woman has also alleged that the accused planned to take her to Goa and sell her, and accused him of inappropriate behaviour.
The police suspect that the accused may have been involved in multiple such marriages in the past. Based on a complaint lodged at the cantonment police station, an FIR was registered on Saturday evening.
Senior Superintendent of Police Dr Kaustubh said efforts are underway to arrest the accused.
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