Ballari: Pulling off a coup of sorts, the Congress is reportedly getting ready to induct two time BJP legislator and former Minister, B S Anand Singh, who resigned from the state Assembly on Saturday, into the party in the presence of AICC president, Rahul Gandhi on February 10 in Hosapete.
The Hospete MLA, who handed in his resignation to Speaker KB Koliwad at his home in Ranebennur, Haveri district, did not reveal his next political move, but dropped enough hints that he was joining the Congress.
Apparently targeting 'Hindutva politics' Mr Singh, whose mother is a Muslim and father a Rajput, told his supporters before handing in his resignation, "I can't be with people who light fires and have decided to go with people who extinguish them."
The statement came as no surprise as he has been at odds with his party for a while, even drawing the wrath of the Sangh Parivar by participating in the Tipu Sultan Jayanti celebrations of the state government last year in defiance of the BJP's diktat.
While acknowledging that he would not be an MLA for the next three months, he said he would, however, continue to get funds for Hospete and asserted he would contest the coming assembly elections from the constituency and be elected for the third time in a row.
“Now, there is a gap between me and the party which I’m representing at present. It has widened and cannot be bridged and so I have decided to quit it,” he added. Meanwhile, Hospete Congress leaders protested before KPCC president, Dr G Parameshwar urging him not to give a ticket to Mr Singh from the constituency. Calming the protestors, Dr Parmeshwar said nothing had been finalised on Mr Singh's induction into the party. “It is all speculation. The decision will be taken only after discussing the matter with CM Siddaramaiah and AICC president, Rahul Gandhi,” he told them.
