KPCC chief Dinesh Gundu Rao meets Mandya party leaders over their dinner with rival candidate
Bengaluru, May 3: Karnataka Pradesh Congress President Dinesh Gundu Rao Friday summoned party leaders fromMandya, who recently held a meeting with independent candidate Sumalatha Ambareesh, amid speculation that they worked against the coalition candidate in the Lok Sabha polls.
Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy's son Nikhil from JD(S) was the ruling coalition's joint candidate from Mandya Lok Sabha constituency.
According to party sources, former Ministers N Cheluvarayaswamy and P M Narendraswamy said during the meeting that as per the directions of the Congress, they had nowhere openly expressed support for Sumalatha or campaigned for her.
Alleging they were being targeted, as JD(S)' plan was to weaken the Congress in Mandya, they also reportedly complained of Kumaraswamy's possible involvement in CCTV footage release about the dinner meeting to the media, by influencing police.
There are also reports about the Chief Minister complaining to AICC General Secretary K C Venugopal about the conduct of local Congress leaders.
Speaking to reporters after the meeting, Rao downplayed the incident, saying the party could take it seriously if it was a political event, a programme with political intent or any talk of political support.
"They told me they were invited for dinner by someone, so they had gone there.
Just because of having food with someone, we cannot call it an anti-party activity.
If it was a political event or a programme with political intent or any talk of political support, we can take it seriously," he said.
A video of some Congress leaders, including former Ministers N Cheluvarayaswamy and P M Narendraswamy, former legislator H C Balakrishna, Ravi Ganiga and Malavalli Shivanna at a dinner reportedly hosted by Sumalatha at a private hotel on Tuesday, had surfaced on Wednesday.
The video gave rise to speculation that these leaders had worked in favour of Sumalatha during the Lok Sabha polls.
Cheluvarayaswamy said the dinner video that appeared in the media was discussed at the meeting with Rao and clarified they had attended the dinner as it was hosted by a friend, who was also known to Sumalatha and that's why she had come there.
"This meeting or dinner party has taken place after the election, so it has no importance. I don't know whether you (media) gave importance to it or someone insisted on giving importance to it."
Expressing doubts about the video of a private dinner party getting released to the media, Cheluvarayaswamy suspected that police might have been influenced to get the video from the hotel where the party took place.
Congress leaders from Mandya had stayed away from campaigning for Nikhil, citing Kumaraswamy himself not seeking their support as one of the reasons.
Many of them had even extended support to Sumalatha, widow of actor-turned politician M H Ambareesh, through their supporters, who actively participated in her campaigning with Congress flags.
Meanwhile, Cheluvarayaswamy's close friend andCongress Minister B Z Zameer Ahmed Khan, who was earlier with JD(S), defended the dinner meeting and said there was nothing wrong in it.
He pointed out that the dinner meeting did not take place during the elections and added that Cheluvarayaswamy and others were nowhere seen with Sumalatha during campaigning.
Khan also noted that Kumaraswamy should have spoken to local Congress leaders and taken them into confidence, ahead of election.
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Elephant calf brought from Bijnor kept under care at Pilibhit Tiger Reserve
Pilibhit (PTI): A 19-day-old elephant calf, brought from Bijnor, was placed under care at the Pilibhit Tiger Reserve (PTR) on Sunday, an official said and added that the calf got separated from its mother in the forest area of Bijnor.
The calf was born on December 2 in the Bijnor forest area and got separated from its mother shortly after birth, the official said.
The forest department made several attempts to reunite it with its mother, but without any success. To ensure the calf's safety and better care, it was decided to transfer it to the Pilibhit Tiger Reserve on the instructions of senior officials.
On Saturday, Deputy Director Manish Singh received the calf. Special arrangements have been made in the reserve for its care. It has been kept in a safe and clean environment to provide it with a natural setting and protect it from external noise and disturbances.
Singh told reporters that raising an 19-day-old calf is challenging.
It requires a special diet as a substitute for mother's milk and constant monitoring.
He said a special team has been formed to provide 24-hour care. Since the calf is very young, it is being cared for like a newborn baby.
According to Singh, the primary responsibility for monitoring the calf's health has been entrusted to PTR's veterinarian, Dr Daksh Gangwar. Under his supervision, a complete record of the calf's health checkups, diet, and body temperature is being maintained. The team is ensuring that the calf does not contract any infection.
