Karnataka: Picture of Congress MLA Anand Singh's bruised face with swollen and blackened eyes

A jittery Congress had shifted its legislators to the resort on Friday last, as it feared that the BJP might lure some of them in its alleged bid to destabilise the Congress-JDS coalition government in the state.

Karnataka: Congress MLA Anand Singh taking treatment in Apollo Hospital after reports of alleged brawl with Congress MLAs JN Ganesh and Bheema Naik. PIC/ANI.

Bengaluru: The photo of Congress MLA Anand Singh who received grievous injuries mainly on the face has come to the fore on social media. Bruised face with swollen and blackened eyes, Singh seemed to have been caught in a violent brawl. It’s been an increasingly tempestuous political environment in Karnataka lately making the Congress find it even more difficult to keep its flock together. Singh, who appeared to be trepidatious, was dramatically brought into the Karnataka assembly by Minister DK Shivakumar at the time of floor test last year. Singh suffered injuries in a alleged scuffle with a party legislator, was admitted to a private hospital on Sunday. Congress MLA J N Ganesh, who allegedly hit the heavily built Anand Singh during an alleged brawl at a private resort, Monday claimed he too was injured in the scuffle The legislator said no "bottle attack" had taken place as projected in the media, while indicating that some kind of a brawl had taken place between him and Singh at Eagleton Resorts on the city outskirts late Saturday night. A jittery Congress had shifted its legislators to the resort on Friday last, as it feared that the BJP might lure some of them in its alleged bid to destabilise the Congress-JDS coalition government in the state. Both had come to blows, according to PTI's party sources. "Whatever media has created about (my) hitting (Singh) with bottle...14 to 20 stitches... are all completely false. There were also reports about (me) having bitten our gun man. He is physically present here. This is also a lie," Ganesh said. Stating that Singh is like an elder brother to him, Ganesh said he and his family have respected Singh, whom they knew for the last 15-20 years. "I have not done this to him purposefully. On someissue Bhima Naik (another Congress MLA) and Anand Singh (had differences), (I) tried to bring them together (compromise)... but some wrong events happened. If the events that happened there have pained him (Singh), I would apologise to his family. This did not happen intentionally. He was unwell and was hospitalised. Things have been created by the media," headded. Asked about Singh being injured, Ganesh said "nothing as you think...I also have (injuries) I cannot say...leave it, nothing as you are thinking." Questioned why he was blaming the media, Ganesh said, "who told you that I have hit (Singh) with a bottle? Media is showing that way, which is false. "Our gunman is here; ask him, reports claimed I have bit him too," he said. Asked whether reports about him hitting Singh was false, Ganesh said "some incident" had taken place and he was not denying it. "There was some argument. Bheema Naik, Anand Singh and I were there...while trying to work out a compromise between Bhima Naik and Anand Singh, some things happened...there was an argument, leading to a situation," he said. "I did not hit him, he fell...,he fell automatically," " he added. Asked whether Singh fell as he was drunk, he said, "I don't know about it...I don't want to commentwhether he had taken drinks.. But he fell. Other than that, nothing has happened." Ganesh said he was issuing the clarification as he did not not want to embarrass his partyand the high command. "I along with my family wish to meet 'Anand anna'(elder brother) andapologise to his family," he added. Ganesh is among the disgruntled Congress MLAs who was reportedly in touch with other dissidents in the party and was on the BJP's radar in its alleged toppling game. According to sources, he was furious with Singh for foiling his plans to join the BJP by leaking information to the Congress leadership. Meanwhile, a medico legal register of the private hospital where Singh is undergoing treatment, in its report said "history of traumatic injury at around 1 AM on January 20 at Eagleton Resort, Bidadi, and sustained injury to head, face and left side chest pain." It also said "no history of loss of consciousness, seizure and vomiting" and added that there was complaints of headache and left side chest pain. The report, which also cites "black eye, nasal blood clot, and tenderness over left lower chest". According to Congress sources, party legislators camped at the resort have started vacating it. MLAs, unhappy over the developments, had been insisting that the party leadership free them from the resort, as they feared "bad publicity" at a time when the state is reeling under drought. Evening Update - Congress MLA JN Ganesh suspended from the party by VY Ghorpade, General Secretary KPCC on the directions of Dinesh Gundu Rao, the President of Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee. (With additional information from Agencies)