Mandya: In a full-on attack on Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy, Ms Sumalatha Ambareesh, wife of the late actor/politician, M H Ambareesh, on Tuesday called upon the voters of Mandya to put an end to “the money and muscle power of the JD(S) and its caste and dynastic politics, ” while making an emotional appeal to the voters to elect her.
Ms Sumalatha , who is contesting as an independent from the constituency and is proving a challenge for Mr Kumaraswamy’s son, Nikhil, who is hoping to make his political debut from the constituency, played all the cards at her disposal to win over the Mandya voters. "Today, I am begging you all to take a vow that you will join hands with me to cleanse the dirt left by the JD(S), which has taken the people for a ride all these years. This is a question of your pride. Let us all take a vow to free this beautiful district from the clutches of a family," she implored to cheers from the crowd at her mammoth public meeting in the city.
She also tore to shreds the claim that Mr Kumaraswamy had voluntarily made special arrangements to take her husband’s body to Mandya to allow the people to pay their respects to him. “On November 24, last year when my husband died, the Chief Minister told my son that the situation in Mandya was not right for taking the body there and promised to arrange 500 buses from Mandya to Bengaluru to allow his fans to pay their respects to him here. But someone from Mandya reportedly warned about the consequences if his body was not taken there,” she recounted.
Emphasising that the former MP always had a special place in his heart for the people of the constituency, she said he had suffered a heart attack following the drowning of 25 people in a canal after their private bus plunged into it. “This hurt him a lot and he was inconsolable. He wanted to visit the accident spot, but his health did not permit him to. Within minutes, he had a cardic arrest and all effort to save him proved futile. Till his last breath, he had a special love for the people of Mandya. It is unfortunate that Mr Kumaraswamy has been taking political mileage from his last rites and trying to ensure his son's victory over his samadhi. Had the CM or state government not arranged for his last rites, the people of Mandya would have done it from their own pockets,” she asserted.
On JD(S) leaders commenting on her caste, she said, “Is it a crime to say that I am the daughter-in-law of Malavalli Huchechegowda? When the people of Mandya have accepted me, who are they to make such comments? The CM said my face doesn’t reflect any pain at the death of my husband. Does he know how much I am suffering? Despite my personal loss, I have come here to wipe the tears of Mandya’s people. Now the time has come for you to support the daughter and daughter-in-law of this land,” she concluded impassionately.
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