BELAGAVI: Firmly denying allegations of orchestrating a show of strength amid the ongoing leadership rumblings within the Congress, Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar on Friday said he neither needs to display power nor seeks to rally legislators behind him.
Shivakumar said, “I am not doing any show of strength. I don’t need it. No one should come behind me, and no one should speak on my behalf.”
Speaking after Monday's assembly session in Belagavi, he stressed that all 140 Congress MLAs, including Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, belong to one single group - the Congress.
“Do not create or encourage any talk of factions,” he insisted, adding that “If someone lovingly invites me for a meal, how can I refuse?”
On repeated comments by Yathindra Siddaramaiah regarding the Chief Minister’s tenure, Shivakumar said he was unaware. “The Honourable Chief Minister will respond to all such matters,” he remarked.
To Delhi for protest against ‘vote theft’
Shivakumar said he will travel to Delhi on Saturday to join the nationwide protest against alleged large-scale voter fraud during the Lok Sabha elections.
“Rahul Gandhi started this fight against vote theft right here in Karnataka. We had exposed voter data theft back in 2023 through the Chilume scandal and filed complaints with the Election Commission. Now Rahul has placed evidence before the nation,” he said.
He claimed that the EC had turned into “an instrument of a particular political party” and congratulated Congress workers for collecting 1.43 crore signatures during the state-wide campaign demanding action.
Green signal for matches at Chinnaswamy Stadium
On granting permission for IPL cricket matches at Bengaluru’s Chinnaswamy Stadium following safety concerns, Shivakumar said the government acted to protect the city’s reputation.
“To avoid any future incidents, we have put in place precautionary measures. We have granted permission accordingly,” he said.
He added that recommendations of the D'Cunha;Committee must be respected and that Home Minister G. Parameshwara has been tasked with overseeing safety protocols.
“The Home Minister will hold discussions with KSCA President Venkatesh Prasad and police officials,” he said.