MLA Anand Singh Abducted by Centre to Keep Him Away From Floor Test Alleges Congress
The AICC leader Gulam Nabi Azad along with former CM Siddaramaiah alleged that Anand Singh was trapped in Mumbai with the help of a Central Minister. Later he was taken to Delhi. The move has come to keep him away from floor test.
Mumbai, May 18: MLA Anand Singh who said to be missing from Congress list and who was claimed to be supporting BJP, has been abducted, according to the allegations made by former Chief Minister of Karnataka Siddaramaiah and All India Congress Committee (AICC) leader Gulam Nabi Azad in a joint Press Conference held on Friday. They both claim that MLA Singh was abducted by the Central government, while Maski MLA Pratap Gowda Patil kept in 'captivity'. The allegations have been made after media outlets reported about the missing Congress MLA, who skipped yesterday's meeting in Bengaluru arranged by Congress and JD(S) post-poll alliance.
Siddaramaiah alleged that the newly appointed CM BS Yeddyurappa and other BJP leaders such as B Sriramulu and Janardhan Reddy had lured Congress MLAs with various offers. The evidence for the same will be revealed after the floor test on Saturday, he claimed.
The AICC leader Gulam Nabi Azad also claimed that Anand Singh was trapped in Mumbai with the help of a central minister. Later, he was taken to Delhi. Accusing the centre of using the Enforcement Directorate(ED) and Income Tax Departments, he said that abducting an MLA is wrong. It's only a tactic to keep him away during the floor test.
Singh is one of the wealthiest politicians in Karnataka with assets of Rs. 104 crore approximately. He had corruption cases against him and was arrested in 2015 on charges of illegally transporting iron ore from Bellikere port in Karnataka. Initially, he was also arrested in connection with the illegal mining scandal that created a lot of uproar in Karnataka state. He was lodged at the central prison in Bengaluru before he got conditional bail in March 2015. Anand Singh was in jail with Janardhan Reddy, the main suspect in the Rs. 16,500 crore illegal mining scam. Also, known to be once a close associate of the Reddy Brothers. The reason behind his sudden disappearance is believed to be due to mounting pressure from the centre. He was also said to be receiving threats, saying that the graft inquiries will be initiated once again if he didn't side with the BJP.
While Azad during the conference also applauded the Supreme Court's decision to conduct immediate floor test in the house by tomorrow 4 pm, setting aside the time given by the Governor Vajubhai Vala who had given 15 days' time to BJP to prove their majority. While Siddaramaiah called both PM Narendra Modi and Amit Shah a Hitler over the forceful formation of a government in Karnataka.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on May 18, 2018 03:45 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).