Mysuru: HD Kumaraswamy, Union Minister for Heavy Industries and Steel, asked Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar who is responsible for the Cafe Coffee Day (CCD) founder VG Siddhartha's death.
“Shivakumar was given a political life by SM Krishna at a time when he was a Kotwal (rowdy). He must tell people who is responsible for the death of Siddhartha and he should present the facts before the people,” the Union Minister said while addressing the concluding ceremony of BJP-JD (S) padyatra in Mysuru.
Siddhartha was the son-in-law of former Union Minister of External Affairs SM Krishna. Mr Shivakumar's daughter is married to the son of Siddhartha.
Siddhartha died by suicide after coming under financial strain.
Mr Kumaraswamy said that Mr Shivakumar along with others used to steal the iron chambers fixed for sewerage pipes during the night and sold them to the scrap industry to make money.
He said that Mr Shivakumar often claims that under his leadership, people gave 136 seats in Assembly elections and his (Kumaraswamy) leadership JD-S got only 19 seats.
“Why did the people give you only 8 out of 28 Lok Sabha seats?” he asked.
Reacting to the charges of the Union Minister, Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar said that Mr Kumaraswamy “needs urgent medical treatment for mental instability”.
“Kumaraswamy knows nothing about my relationship with former Union Minister of External Affairs SM Krishna. He has gone mad. I will tell his party men and well-wishers to get him medical attention for his mental health,” the Deputy Chief Minister said.
On the allegation of usurped properties, the Deputy Chief Minister said, “Let Kumaraswamy bring anyone whose property I have forcibly taken. It is not in my blood to usurp properties by force.”
On the allegation of assuming huge wealth, the Deputy Chief Minister said, “I come from a poor farmer family. My life began when I came to NPS School in Bengaluru.”
Replying to Mr Kumaraswamy's allegation that Shivakumar ditched him when he was the Chief Minister, he said, “Let the leaders of his party tell me how I ditched him when he was the Chief Minister. He clearly needs medical treatment.”
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)