Gujarat Congress MLAs locked up in luxury in Bengaluru

www.mangaloretoday.com

Bengaluru, Jul 30 2017: As many as 41 Gujarat Congress MLAs are virtually locked in luxury at a resort on the outskirts of Bengaluru.

The MLAs arrived in two batches at the Kempegowda International Airport from Ahmedabad and Rajkot in the early hours of Saturday in a damage control exercise by the party after six of its MLAs resigned during the last two days.

The MLAs will be kept under ‘watch’ in a bid to protect them from any form of horse trading by the BJP ahead of the crucial Rajya Sabha elections scheduled for August 8. According to sources, the MLAs have been told not to venture out on their own and use of mobile phones has been restricted. Entry for visitors has also been restricted at the resort.

There is suspicion that a few MLAs are in touch with the BJP, hence the bar on mobile use. They are likely to stay at the resort for a week and depart for Gandhinagar on the eve of the polls.

As soon as the legislators landed in Bengaluru, they were ferried to the Eagleton resort near Bidadi, where deluxe rooms were booked for them. Bengaluru Rural MP D K Suresh is overseeing the arrangements. “They are our guests. They want to visit a few temples and we are planning their travel programme. Karnataka is a calm place and that is why they have come here. We are all confident that Ahmed Patel (Congress’ nominee for the Rajya Sabha polls) will win,” Suresh, brother of Energy Minister D K Shivakumar said.

As many as 35 deluxe rooms have been booked at the sprawling resort, spread across 77 acres replete with a golf course. According to the resort website, room rent ranges between Rs 5,000 to Rs 7,000 a day. The sources said the cost of the accommodation will be borne by the Gujarat Pradesh Congress Committee. Gujarati cuisine and South Indian delicacies are on the menu for the guests.

Sources said two senior legislators were insisting on returning to Gujarat to monitor relief work in the wake of floods. However, they were persuaded to stay put.

A few legislators have expressed a wish to visit Tirupati for darshan of Lord Balaji. At the resort, Congress MLC C M Lingappa and party leader Saleem Ahmed, who is also additional special representative in New Delhi from Karnataka, are taking care of the Gujarat MLAs.

Following the resignation of six legislators, the Congress strength has been reduced to 51 MLAs in the 182-member Gujarat Assembly.

Elections will be held on August 8 for three Rajya Sabha seats. While the BJP, which has a majority in the House, has fielded its party national president Amit Shah and Union minister Smriti Irani for two seats, the Congress has renominated Ahmed Patel, who is political secretary to Congress president Sonia Gandhi, for the third seat. The resignation of six legislators has jeopardised his election.

BJP bribing
Paresh Dhanani, a Congress legislator said, “Our MLAs have been offered bribes and the BJP has misused the official machinery to poach our MLAs. We will not fall prey, we stand united.”

Sources said Shivakumar, who is in Singapore, will look into logistics of the stay of the MLAs soon after his return to Bengaluru.

In 2002, Bengaluru had been the destination of NCP MLAs for their ‘resort politics’ following a political turmoil in Maharashtra and Shivakumar had overseen the arrangements for their stay

Union Minister Ananth Kumar criticised the visiting legislators. “At a time when Gujarat is affected by severe floods, the Congress MLAs, instead of monitoring relief work are indulging in resort politics. It is an insult to the mandate of the people,” he said.