Bengaluru: While Congress and Janata Dal(Secular) leaders are already at loggerheads over who should contest from Mandya this Lok Sabha poll, JD(S) MLC, K T Srikantegowda added fuel to fire with his remarks on Tuesday against Ms Sumalatha, wife of the late actor/politician, M H Ambareesh, a favourite with the local Congress leaders.
Commenting on the Congress leaders forcing Ms Sumalatha to contest from Mandya, the MLC asked, "Is she a Gowdati (a woman from the Vokkaliga community)? She hails from Andhra Pradesh and so how can she be one? Ms Sumalatha married Mr Ambarish, who was a Vokkaliga by birth, but she isn't. "Going further, the MLC claimed that Mr Ambareesh did not contest the 2018 assembly elections from Mandya as he knew he would be defeated by the people "for not responding to their needs." " The people voted for Ramya aka Divya Spandana in the Lok Sabha polls, but she didn't turn up in Mandya. Should the people elect a leader, who does not care for the Mandya people?" he demanded.
Angered by his remarks, fans of the late actor blocked the Bengaluru- Mysuru national highway and took out a protest march in the city demanding an unconditional apology from him. Attacking the MLC on social media, they asked if Ms Anitha Kumaraswamy, wife of CM H D Kumaraswamy was a 'Gowdati' as she reportedly has Telugu roots. Backing them, local Congress leaders told the KPCC president, Dinesh Gundurao that they would not work for the JD(S) in Mandya, should the party decide to give the constituency to it.
