While BJP’s Mysuru MP Pratap Simha and party MLAs S.A. Ramdas and L. Nagendra had locked horns over the piped cooking gas project, JD (S) MLA G.T. Deve Gowda was engaged in a tiff with newly elected party MLC C.N. Manje Gowda.
It all happened when Mr. Manje Gowda turned up for the foundation stone saying ceremony for the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadaj Yojane at Goruru village in Chamundeshwari Assembly constituency in Mysuru on Friday, which was attended by Mr. Deve Gowda and Mr. Simha.
After Mr. Deve Gowda, who has distanced himself from the JD (S), reportedly took objection to Mr. Manje Gowda’s presence at the function, the latter hit out at the former for questioning his participation in a “government function” though he was a duly elected MLC.
Speaking to reporters, Mr. Manje Gowda said he went to the “government function” after he was invited by the officials. “When I went to the function, he (Mr. Deve Gowda) asked me why I had to come…”, he said before stating that “I was poking my nose”. According to Mr. Manje Gowda, Mr. Deve Gowda also referred to former Minister and JD (S) leader S R Mahesh as his “maharaja” and to learn the protocol from him.
Mr. Manje Gowda, who took serious objection to Mr. Deve Gowda’s words, sought to remind the JD (S) MLA representing Chamundeshwari Assembly segment that the programme he attended on Friday was a “government function” and he was “insulting” the protocol by asking him not to attend it.
Meanwhile, referring to Friday’s confrontation with Mr. Manje Gowda, Mr. Deve Gowda said he had informed the newly elected MLC that he was the MLC representing two districts and he was not aware about the protocol. “All the MLAs perform such foundation stone laying ceremonies, why should the MLC go to the functions?”
Though Mr. Deve Gowda sought to clarify that he was not frustrated over Mr. Manje Gowda’s victory, he said the JD (S) MLC had won by a very small margin.
