BENGALURU: A meeting between BJP MLC Adagur H Vishwanath and DCM DK Shivakumar on Tuesday sparked speculation in political circles as to who could benefit the most from Vishwanath’s recent expose on allotment of sites to CM Siddramaiah’s wife Parvathi, which has led to a political storm.
Vishwanath, a known vocal critic of the state government’s handling of the MUDA issue, had exposed the scandal before leaving to the UK about a month ago. Tuesday’s meeting with Shivakumar raised questions about the timing of his revelation and the motivations behind it. Political observers are curious as to why Vishwanath, a contender for a Congress ticket for the Mysuru parliamentary seat, had chosen that particular moment to highlight the MUDA issue, suggesting that there could be a strategic advantage or larger political manoeuvre at play.
Adding another layer to the intrigue is Vishwanath’s past disappointment with Siddaramaiah. Despite several meetings, Vishwanath, who belongs to the same Kuruba community as Siddaramaiah, was not considered for the Mysuru Lok Sabha seat. Some say this perceived snub had led Vishwanath to expose the MUDA issue. His meeting with Shivakumar has made many wonder about his true motivation and his possible political realignment.
Political observers pointed out that Vishwanath’s expose came after a challenging period for Shivakumar, whose brother DK Suresh and other Vokkaliga candidates from Bengaluru North and Mysuru had lost in the parliamentary elections, and Women and Child Welfare Minister Lakshmi Hebbalkar’s son Mrinal Hebbalkar too had tasted defeat. These setbacks, coupled with remarks from Siddaramaiah loyalists like KN Rajanna about appointing more deputy chief ministers had then created a tension within the party and had put Shivakumar and his supporters on the backfoot. That was the time the MUDA site issue was brought to limelight by Vishwanath.
Although Vishwanath downplayed the significance of his meeting with Shivakumar, claiming it was to discuss official matters, such as grants and development works, political analysts remain unconvinced.
Shivakumar, who is usually known to share photos of his meetings on social media, did not put up any pictures from Tuesday’s meeting. This glaring omission only deepened the mystery and fuelled further talk on the real purpose of their discussion.
There is also speculation about the involvement of former Mysore district in-charge minister ST Somashekar, who is reportedly close to both Vishwanath and Shivakumar and allegedly had access to MUDA’s original papers. The intertwined relationships and their potential impact on the MUDA issue remains a topic of intense interest. As the political intrigue continues to unfold, observers are closely monitoring the situation to understand the potential ramifications of this meeting.