Shivakumar says as loyal Congress man he preferred jail to BJP's offer in 2019

Bengaluru, Oct 16 (PTI) Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar has said that he preferred to go to jail by refusing to destabilise the Congress-JD(S) coalition government and declining to take up the Deputy CM post offered by the central BJP, during the 2019 political instability in the state.

He said this on Wednesday while speaking at the launch of a book on him -- "A Symbol of Loyalty D K Shivakumar "-- written by K M Raghu.

BJP leader and Leader of Opposition in the Assembly R Ashoka termed Shivkumar's claims, as his message to Congress high command and Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, ahead of "November revolution", indicating that he has other choices if there is no transfer of power, making him CM.

There have been speculations about the CM change in the state when the Congress government reaches the halfway mark of its five-year term in November, which is being referred to by some as "November revolution".

"I was in Kanakapura, my friends here know, I came running as ten people (MLAs) had gone to the Speaker to submit their resignation (in 2019). I brought back five to six MLAs. At that time, I got a call from Delhi. I won't tell now, the name of the person from the BJP who called me on an income tax auditor's phone. My brother (former MP D K Suresh) was also with me," Shivakumar said.

Addressing the gathering, he said, "There was a DG here, he too spoke, he was on another phone. I was asked from Delhi, whether you will become the Deputy CM or will you go to jail -- (Asked to) choose from these two options, and to send them (MLAs) back." Stating that he refused to cooperate, Shivakumar said, "What to do? Party loyalty was there, as at a very young age, Rajiv Gandhi (former PM) gave me an Assembly ticket, made me a minister, with (former CM) Bangarappa's cooperation. I have grown so far." "I told (BJP leader on call) -- I prefer jail to becoming a Deputy Chief Minister. I could have become (Deputy CM) then. Don't know what would have happened in politics. But, I stood by my party, its workers, ideology, the path in which I grew, and secular principle," he added.

However, the Congress-JD(S) wobbly government, with H D Kumaraswamy as chief minister, subsequently collapsed in July, 2019, as 17 legislators resigned and came out of the ruling coalition. It paved the way for the BJP to come to power.

Shivakumar was arrested by the ED on September 3, 2019, in a money-laundering case, and the Delhi High Court granted him bail in October that year.

Reacting to Shivakumar's statement, Ashoka, while speaking to reporters here said, "D K Shivakumar doesn't do anything without a meaning. He is sending a message to Siddaramaiah and Congress leadership that he has other choices if power is not given to him. He is also sending a message about his loyalty to Congress," he said.

"He (Shivakumar) is trying to threaten Rahul Gandhi, Sonia Gandhi and Siddaramaiah. If his claims are true, he should reveal facts as to who called him, at what time, from which phone number and for what?" he added.

"Shivakumar had gone to jail in a corruption case. It has nothing to do with what he is claiming. If he is saying it now, he is sending a message; this is a threat to Congress party and its leadership," he claimed. PTI KSU ADB