Minister Ashwath Narayan, Cong MP almost come to blows at public event in CM Bommai's presence
Ramanagara, Jan 3: Karnataka Higher Education Minister C N Ashwath Narayan and state's lone Congress Lok Sabha member representing Bangalore Rural D K Suresh, almost came to blows in full public view at an event in the presence of Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai here on Monday.
The government event was to unveil the statues of B R Ambedkar and Bengaluru founder Kempegowda, here.
This was also Bommai's first visit to the district as the Chief Minister.
In what seemed like a veiled attack on Congress leaders, Narayan made an aggressive speech targeting opponents.
He claimed that the present BJP government was here to win the trust of the people and not to betray them, and challenged others to prove their work, as he attacked those who allegedly tried to disturb the event by raising certain slogans.
This apparently enraged Suresh, and the MP, who was visibly angry making certain gestures, barged towards Narayan.
Security personnel and some dignitaries on the stage including Health Minister K Sudhakar intervened and separated the two.
Suresh, the younger brother of state Congress chief D K Shivakumar, was joined by Congress MLC S Ravi, who tried to snatch the mike that was used by Narayan, resulting in a melee, as the Minister forcefully grabbed the mike back from him.
Suresh and other Congress leaders subsequently sat down on the stage in protest.
Amid the protest, Bommai, addressing the gathering, said individual egos should not come in the way of respecting icons like Ambedkar and Kempegowda.
Pointing out that he has come to Ramanagara for the first time as CM, he said, "I have come here to contribute to development. The development will happen with everybody's cooperation and not by one individual....let's all work together for development...."
Suresh, who spoke later, said he would only apologize to the Chief Minister for what happened and not to anyone else, and attacked Narayan in his speech.
"Are you challenging us on the stage? fix the time....what culture is this? Did RSS teach this?.....Don't talk about our culture, we have culture. Mr Ashwath Narayan, we need not learn from you," he said.
As Suresh referred to RSS, BJP supporters among the audience objected to it.
Later, after the event, Congress workers tore up Narayan's posters as the mark of protest.
Bommai, later speaking to reporters, termed the incident as unfortunate and said it will in no way affect his government's commitment for the development of Ramanagara district.
"We should all work together for development....there is no need to create an atmosphere of election, much before the election," he said.
Stating that the incident is the best example to prove that Congress culture is "goonda culture", state BJP in a tweet, condemning it, said "it is ironic that an MP doesn't have the basic sense as to how to behave on the stage, where the Chief Minister is present."
Several BJP leaders including its state President Nalin Kumar Kateel and Narayan's cabinet colleagues condemned Suresh's conduct.
Meanwhile, jumping to his brother Suresh's defence, Congress President D K Shivakumar questioned Ashwath Narayan's relationship with Ramanagara. "What has he or BJP done for the district? It is sheer arrogance on part of the Minister."
Congress and JD(S) are major players in Vokkaliga dominated Ramanagara district, where BJP is attempting to make inroads.
Narayan, a Vokkaliga himself, who was earlier the in-charge Minister of Ramanagara, is at the forefront of BJP's attempts to make inroads into the district by taking on the 'DK brothers' (Shivakumar and Suresh), and today's incident is seen as a sequel to those efforts.
JD(S) leader H D Kumaraswamy and his wife Anita Kumaraswamy are also MLAs from the district.
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Having Messi is a golden moment for Mumbai and India: Tendulkar
Mumbai (PTI): Cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar on Sunday termed Argentine football superstar Lionel Messi's visit to Mumbai as a golden moment for the city and the country.
Tendulkar compared the 2011 Cricket World Cup triumph at the same ground with the visit of Messi, along with his Inter Miami team-mates Luis Saurez and Rodrigo de Paul.
"I have spent some incredible moments here. As we call it, Mumbai is a city of dreams. And a number of dreams have seen the finish line here on this very venue. And without your support, we would never have seen those golden moments on this ground in 2011," Tendulkar said referring to India's ODI World Cup triumph in which he played a major role.
"And today, having all three of them here is indeed a golden moment for Mumbai, Mumbaikars and India. The way you have received all three greats of the game has truly been remarkable."
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Talking about Messi, he said, "When it comes to Leo, if I have to speak about his game, it wouldn't be the right platform. And you know, what does one talk about him? He has achieved everything. We really admire his dedication, determination, commitment.
"And above all, his humility, the person that he is. And on behalf of Mumbaikars and Indians, I would like to wish him and his family the very best of health and happiness to all of you. Thank you once again for being here and encouraging youngsters."
Tendulkar also hoped that "India also reaches the height that we all aspire to (in football)."
Tendulkar presented a No.10 jersey signed by him to Messi. The Argentine World Cup-winning captain reciprocated with a football.
Messi arrived in Mumbai around noon under "World Cup level" security measures, marking the second day of his four-city 'GOAT India Tour 2025'.
He will wind up his visit on Monday in New Delhi where he will meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Messi had arrived in India in the wee hours of Saturday, but the opening leg of the tour in Kolkata quickly descended into chaos later in the day due to poor crowd management and security lapses.
However, his evening programme in the Hyderabad leg stood in stark contrast to the mayhem in Kolkata, proceeding smoothly and concluding on a positive note.
VIDEO | Maharashtra: Amid loud cheers, Indian cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar gifts Argentine football icon Lionel Messi the 2011 World Cup jersey, calling it a golden moment for Mumbai and India.
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) December 14, 2025
(Source: Third Party)
(Full VIDEO available on PTI Videos –… pic.twitter.com/GKIqReBoqa
