Aggravating the war of words between Mandya MP Sumalatha and JD(S) leader H D Kumaraswamy, senior Sandalwood members Doddanna and Rockline Venkatesh on Friday hit out at the former chief minister over the issue of setting up a memorial for actor-politician Ambareesh.
Speaking to reporters, Doddanna recalled an incident which took place in Kumaraswamy's chambers when he was the chief minister.
After the demise of Ambareesh, Doddanna went to meet Kumaraswamy with a requisition to set up a memorial for the late actor. "It pained me that Kumaraswamy threw the paper on my face and said Ambareesh, whom he addressed in the singular, had not achieved anything to deserve a memorial. I took the paper back and silently walked out of the room," Doddanna said.
His claim came in the wake of Kumaraswamy saying that he facilitated the actor's memorial.
Adding to the controversy, Rockline Venkatesh, too, condemned the attacks against Sumalatha and Ambareesh by a few JD(S) leaders who have alleged that the illegal mining around KRS became rampant when the actor-turned politician was in power.
"People who would bow down before Ambareesh and talk in reverence to him are today talking ill of him. Kumaraswamy claims to have been Ambareesh's friend one moment and makes allegations against him another moment," Venkatesh said.
Meanwhile, Sumalatha shot back at JD(S) leaders. "If there are any documents to prove these allegations, let them present it in public. As for the Ambareesh memorial, it was the current CM B S Yediyurappa who facilitated it," she said.
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