Bengaluru: Deputy Chief Minister and State Congress President, D.K. Shivakumar, said that reports claiming that Tamil Nadu party MLAs had arrived at the Eagleton Resort on the outskirts of Bengaluru were false. He said he was not aware of any such development and added that if there had been any such development, he himself would have informed about it.
He further stated that the Eagleton Resort is currently closed for repairs and that all reports in this regard are false.
Speaking to reporters in Bengaluru, he said, “I don’t know where they have gone. Some say they have gone to Hyderabad, while others claim they have arrived in Bengaluru. I saw such reports on television, but I am not aware of it. The party high command has not spoken to me yet regarding the matter. It would be a different matter if the high command had discussed it with me.”
“Whatever stand the party takes, I will abide by it,” he said.
“It is the party’s decision. I have left it to the party. They asked me to go for campaigning, and I went for campaigning. They asked me to attend the manifesto release, and I went there as well,” he stated.
When asked about the rapid developments in Tamil Nadu politics, Shivakumar said he was not aware of them and that nobody had spoken to him about the matter.
Responding to a question regarding the event organised to felicitate former Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa, he said, “Yediyurappa is being felicitated at the event. Good things should happen to him. He has contributed to his party, and now the party and its leaders want to honour him. There is nothing wrong in that; it is their duty. Let them continue. I wish him good health and a long life. He has also contributed to the state, and may God bless him. However, we have different ideologies.”
Speaking about his recent temple visit in Puducherry, Shivakumar said, “Yes, it had been a long time since I visited a temple to pray to Lord Shani. In Kerala, political parties call all leaders and hold discussions before taking decisions. That is how any political party functions. There is nothing wrong in it. They consider everyone’s opinions and take everyone along.”
Responding to Leader of the Opposition, R. Ashoka’s, criticism that he was travelling everywhere but not finding time to address the issue of falling trees in Bengaluru, Shivakumar said, “I have done everything required. I have already issued directions to cut trees wherever necessary. The authorities have provided a list of 480 trees, and I have directed them to trim the branches of all those trees. Whatever Ashoka has said, we have already taken action on it.”
On the controversy regarding IPL tickets and shifting of matches out of Bengaluru, he said, “They (MLAs) had sought IPL tickets, and I obtained them for them. Our Congress MLA Vijayanand Kashappanavar and other MLAs had also requested tickets, and I took responsibility for it. BJP leaders and people from Gujarat are creating unnecessary controversy. They wanted higher ticket sales and more business, and that is why they are creating this drama.”
“Are 300 tickets too many for them? In other places, stadium authorities provide more than 60 per cent of the tickets to the state government,” he added.
(IANS)
