Koppal: A rift erupted among district Congress leaders ahead of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s visit to Koppal after an audio clip, in which former Minister Iqbal Ansari is purportedly heard lashing out at Minister Shivaraj Tangadagi, MP Rajashekar Hitnal, and Chief Minister’s Economic Adviser and Yelburga MLA Basavaraj Rayareddy, went viral on Monday.
Expressing resentment against these leaders, Ansari is heard accusing them of deceiving the people after their victory.
Charging that they have helped his rival candidate and mining baron G Janardhana Reddy to win the previous Assembly election from Gangavati, the Congress leader has alleged in the audio clip that he has been targeted just because he belongs to the Muslim community.
He has also accused them of neglecting him despite giving a lead of 16,000 votes from the Gangavati Assembly constituency to ensure the victory of Hitnal in the Lok Sabha election.