"Siddaramaiah Was Scared, If It Were Me...": DK Shivakumar Sparks Buzz

A remark by Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar has once again brought into focus the fragile peace holding the Karnataka Congress government together.

In a remark that is bound to spark a buzz in the state's political circles, Mr Shivakumar has said he would have gone ahead with a project that Chief Minister Siddaramaiah was "scared" to proceed with in his earlier term.

Addressing the Assembly at an event to mark the birth anniversary of Kempegowda I, a chieftain during Vijayanagar empire, Mr Shivakumar said he receives many requests for construction of tunnels and flyovers.

Referring to challenges in implementing such projects, he said, "In 2017, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and KJ George, who was the then Bengaluru City Development minister, were scared about protests against a steel flyover in the city. If it were me, I wouldn't have succumbed to the noise made by protesters and gone ahead with the project."

Mr Siddaramaiah was not present when Mr Shivakumar made the remark. 

The statement by the Deputy Chief Minister, who is also Karnataka Congress chief, comes barely a month after the party formed the government in the state after a thumping election victory.

The Congress' win was followed by hard negotiations for several days as both Mr Siddaramaiah and Mr Shivakumar wanted the Chief Minister post. Eventually, Mr Shivakumar climbed down and accepted the high command's decision, likening it to "a judge's verdict in court".

Asked about Mr Shivakumar's remark, state minister Priyank Kharge told news agency ANI, "I wouldn't say that Siddaramaiah got scared. The Chief Minister is sensitive to public opinion. Sometimes, false narratives get floated and good decisions are delayed. I think that is what the Deputy Chief Minister meant."

While both Mr Siddarmaiah and Mr Shivakumar have put up a united front, the opposition BJP has been stressing that it is only a matter of time before the cracks within the government widen and topple it.

A few days back, warning the Congress against any move against Bajrang Dal and the RSS, senior BJP leader and former minister R Ashoka said, "CM Siddaramaiah is silent but Deputy CM Shivakumar is violent. In every meeting, Shivakumar speaks ahead of the CM."