Political rivalry between MTB Nagaraj, Hoskote MLA Sharath turns ugly

Sharath Bache Gowda

The followers of minister M T B Nagaraj and Hoskote MLA Sharath Bache Gowda clashed during the foundation stone-laying ceremony of development works on Saturday, prompting a police lathi-charge on them.

A large number of Sharath's followers gathered at the ceremony being presided over by Nagaraj. They alleged that Sharath wasn't invited despite the fact that he is the local MLA, and raised slogans against Nagaraj.

Things soon heated up, and political workers from both the sides clashed, prompting the police to cane them.

Sharath and his followers later marched until the police station, demanding action against the police. Sharath also met Ravi D Channanavar, Superintendent of Police, Bengaluru Rural, and complained that his supporters were "unnecessarily beaten up".

In the meantime, Nagaraj left the programme without making a speech. He, however, spoke to reporters and claimed that Sharath was invited last night but that he didn't attend the ceremony.

For his part, Sharath said he was invited only at the last minute and complained that was not the way to treat the local MLA.

Sharath, whose father B N Bache Gowda is the Chikkaballapur MP from the BJP, had defeated Nagaraj in the Hoskote assembly by-election. Nagaraj had left the Congress to join the BJP. Sharath contested against him as a rebel candidate and won. Nagaraj was made a minister in the recent ministerial reshuffle.