Bengaluru: Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar on Friday criticised the Central government over the reduction in fuel prices, alleging that it was politically motivated.
He was responding to questions from the media near his residence in Bengaluru regarding the Centre’s decision to reduce the special additional excise duty on fuel.
“The Government of India is killing us. They have reduced fuel prices for the elections. Meanwhile, Nayara company has increased fuel prices,” he said.
When asked whether the state government would also reduce fuel prices, Shivakumar said, “We will speak about it later.”
Responding to a question on whether minority votes would be split in the by-election, Shivakumar said, “There will be no division under any circumstances. Not just minorities, even other communities will remain united. Davanagere South candidate Samarth Mallikarjun will win with a bigger margin than late Shamanur Shivashankarappa, who represented the seat.
“Samarth was like a son raised by him. I am confident he will win. The entire state has seen the contributions made by that family to Davanagere, and people remember them,” Shivakumar stated.
On reports of dissatisfaction and suspensions within the party ahead of the by-election, he said, “I have not signed any suspension orders. These are local developments. The Chief Minister and I have discussed the matter, but we will not make it public. Senior leaders like Zameer Ahmad Khan, Jabbar and Nazeer will follow the party’s direction. There is no doubt about that. There may be wrestlers and strongmen, but they are all ours. Differences are natural during elections, and we will handle them.”
On the issue of MLAs demanding IPL tickets, Shivakumar said, “MLAs have a right, as they are part of the government and the system. We have allowed matches to be conducted under pressure. I may be a member of the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA), but that is a separate matter. I will discuss with the KSCA president about facilitating access for our MLAs to watch the matches.”
Responding to BJP MP Tejasvi Surya’s criticism that such demands were unnecessary, Shivakumar said, “He should advise the leaders of his own party, not us.”
(IANS)
