JOIN USRamdas denies wrongdoing; blames political conspiracy
Former minister and BJP leader S A Ramdas, who is accused of betrayal by a woman, on Wednesday strongly denied that he has done anything wrong. However, he blamed that a political conspiracy was working behind the whole issue.
Addressing a gathering of party workers, which he described as a thanksgiving meeting, also a first public appearance after his 37 days of reclusive life outside the city, following a controversy that erupted on February 11, at a convention hall in the city, Ramdas repeatedly refuted that he has committed any mistake in his life. “I was forced to take the extreme step (attempt to end life) when I couldn’t tolerate the jolt to my conscience”, Ramdas added.
A bearded Ramdas, who looked pensive, spoke in a broken tone for close to 40 minutes, describing the ordeal he underwent after the issue erupted.
Saying that it was his rebirth, Ramdas thanked his party workers, fans and supporters and also the opposition parties, including Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, for not politicising the issue. However, he disclosed what underwent in his mind minutes before taking the extreme step.
“One of my friends called me at that time. I told him I will disclose the names of all those people who have pushed me to such a situation. After sometime, I reconsidered my decision and chose not to disclose the names for the only reason that I didn’t want to trouble them even after my death”, said Ramdas.
Ramdas said, he also wanted to share everything regarding the issue, but is bound by the judiciary as the matter is pending before the court. But, the time to tell the truth will definitely come, he added.
For 37 days, Ramdas claimed that he stayed aloof from wordly pleasures and when he decided to come out of the self-imposed exile, he wanted to meet the family members of Naveen (the party worker, who committed suicide reportedly unable to bear the pathetic condition of Ramdas) and the party workers, before meeting his family, especially his mother.
Ramdas clarified that it was not a political meeting, but a meeting of fans and supporters. However, he said, he was still undecided on his political future, a decision he will take only after eliciting the opinion of the party workers in the future.
Financial aid
Earlier, Ramdas called on the dependents of Naveen at their residence in Kanakagiri, Vidyaranyapuram, and extended them a financial assistance in the form of a fixed deposit.
Ramdas consoled Manjula, the grieving mother of Naveen, and vowed to look after their wellbeing (Manjula and her daughter) throughout his life.
However, he denied to share the information on the financial aid given to them.