JOIN US R M Manjunath Gowda, president of Karnataka State Co-operative Apex Bank and District Co-operative Central Bank, Shivamogga, on Wednesday joined the Congress party.
Gowda, who is under the scanner of the Criminal Investigation Department, had been arrested for his involvement in the gold loan fraud worth crores of rupees. Following this, the government had removed him from both the posts, but he had managed to get a stay order from a court. If he is found guilty, he would be removed from the posts.
Gowda is a party hopper. He was a follower of former chief minister B S Yeddyurappa and had joined the BJP. Later, when Yeddyurappa floated the Karnataka Janata Party (KJP), Gowda quit the BJP and joined the KJP. At one time, he was with the JD(S).
He was inducted into the Congress party by KPCC president G Parameshwara and other senior leaders. Parameshwara said that with Gowda’s induction, the party would be further strengthened in Shivamogga.
Suspend MLA
The Congress Legislature Party (CLP) has recommended that Devara Hipparagi MLA, A S Patil Nadahalli, be suspended from the party for his remarks against his own party-led State government.
Nadahalli had said that Chief Minister Siddaramaiah had furnished false figures on the allocation of funds to irrigation in North Karnataka districts. He had also demanded statehood for the North Karnataka region.
Following this, the party issued a notice to him on April 15 and gave him two weeks’ time to reply. As the MLA failed to give his reply, the CLP has recommended that he be suspended from the party. The party is yet to take a decision on the matter.