Mysore/Mysuru: Upset over the outcome of the recently held Mayoral polls, former Congress Mayors have demanded disciplinary action against the MLA Tanveer Sait for what they called violation of the party’s stand.

Addressing a press meet here yesterday, two former Congress Mayors Arif Hussain and Ayub Khan accused Sait of joining hands with former Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy to ‘humiliate’ Opposition leader and former CM Siddharamaiah.

Taking exception to the sloganeering against Siddharamaiah in front of Sait’s residence on Friday morning, Arif Hussain said that Siddharamaiah was the ‘Voice of Muslims.’ Maintaining that though Siddharamaiah had instructed Sait to secure the Mayor post for the Congress as per the understanding reached with the JD(S) after the 2018 MCC polls, Hussain alleged that Sait brokered a deal with JD(S) leader and former CM H.D. Kumaraswamy to hand over the Mayor post to JD(S). Accusing Sait of also getting people to shout slogans against Siddharamaiah, Hussain claimed that the entire Congress party was with Siddharamaiah.

Ayub Khan said that he and Hussain had opposed Sait’s decision to support JD(S) candidate in the Mayoral polls and walked out when the voting for the post of Mayor was taken up. Asserting that before they entered the Council Hall for the Mayoral polls, they were informed to vote for Congress candidate Shantakumari, he claimed that they were shocked when Sait asked them to vote for JD(S) and walked out suspecting a conspiracy.

Continuing, Ayub Khan said that he and Hussain reported the matter to KPCC Working President R. Dhruvanarayan, who had been deputed to the polls as KPCC Observer. Even  Dhruvanarayan was not aware that the Congress was backing the JD(S) candidate,  he added.

Pointing out that party instructions should either come from KPCC President D.K. Shivakumar or Congress Legislative Party (CLP) leader Siddharamaiah or KPCC Observer Dhruvanarayan, Ayub Khan said that Sait had no authority to issue instructions. Noting that Sait is a five-time MLA and also a former Minister, Khan wanted the Party High Command to initiate disciplinary action against Sait by suspending him from the party.

Corporator Shantakumari said that she became a victim of conspiracy of some of her own party leaders. Maintaining that Opposition Leader Siddharamaiah wanted the JD(S) to honour the understanding reached between the two parties post the 2018 MCC polls, Shantakumari said she was hopeful of the support of all Congress leaders. But that was not to be at the end, with MLA Sait asking the party Corporators to vote for the JD(S) candidate Rukmini Madegowda. As all the Congress Corporators had decided to vote for JD(S), she felt insulted and decided not to raise her                                                         hand in the vote count, Shantakumari maintained. 

Even as former Congress Mayors were addressing the press meet, Abdul Khader Shahid, a close associate of Sait arrived at the venue. Accusing Shahid of leading a group of party leaders who had raised slogans against Siddharamaiah in front of Sait’s residence earlier in the morning, Corporator Gopi wanted Shahid to leave the place, when a confrontation broke out  between the two. However, party leaders intervened to calm down the situation. 

In another development that ensued soon after the former Congress Mayors press meet, a few supporters of MLA Tanveer Sait raised slogans condemning Siddharamaiah and hailing Sait. The sloganeering led to a tense situation for a few minutes, before the Police intervened and prevented the situation from going out of control.