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DKS calls for caution in wake of Delhi explosion
Deputy CM DK Shivakumar urges Congress leaders to avoid speculation on the Red Fort blast, stressing the need for peace and unity amid political tensions.
Deputy chief minister DK Shivakumar on Thursday urged restraint within the state Congress unit and said that leaders must refrain from making speculative comments about the November 10 blast near Delhi’s Red Fort, in the wake of remarks by chief minister Siddaramaiah and two state cabinet members questioning the blast’s timing and making vague implications to alleged political motives.
“We should be careful and vigilant. Whether it is a blast in Delhi or anywhere else, we must ensure peace. Congress strongly condemns it. Whoever is behind the incident must be brought to book. Blaming is not the solution. Protecting the common man and the government’s image is,” said Shivakumar, speaking to reporters after a cabinet meeting in Bengaluru.
The appeal followed comments by housing minister Zameer Ahmed Khan and chief minister Siddaramaiah’s economic advisor Basavaraj Rayareddi who both raised questions over the fact that the blast took place only a day before polling was scheduled for the second phase of the 2025 Bihar assembly elections.
Ahmed hinted at possible “political involvement,” saying, “The bomb blast happened on the 10th, and there were elections in Bihar on the 11th. We have heard that there is political involvement in this... Home Minister Amit Shah should provide an answer.”
Rayareddi went a step further, implying that the sequence of events was suspicious.
“They might have felt they couldn’t win Bihar after the first phase, so they tried in the second phase. I can’t allege directly, but it raises suspicion,” he said, adding that the BJP and the Prime Minister “are not as clean as they claim.”
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge also weighed in, describing the explosion as a “serious security lapse” and holding the Centre accountable. “Let there be a thorough investigation. The culprits should be punished. Despite all these agencies, the government has failed,” Kharge said, adding that the issue would be raised in Parliament when it meets on December 1.
Meanwhile, Union minister for food, public distribution and consumer affairs Pralhad Joshi on Thursday lashed out at the Congress, accusing its leaders of “playing cheap politics” by linking the Red Fort explosion to the Bihar elections.
“The car explosion near Delhi’s Red Fort area has shocked the entire nation. At such a sensitive time, instead of demonstrating unity and strength, Karnataka Congress leaders are making statements that sound as though they are spreading a red carpet for terrorists,” Joshi said.
“What connection does the car blast near Delhi’s Red Fort have with the Bihar elections? Congress leaders should act with more sense. They must stop making irresponsible comments and playing cheap politics that only embolden terrorists,” he added.
He said that investigations by security agencies were already underway and accused Congress leaders of “jumping to conclusions prematurely.”
Calling for unity, Joshi said, “Whenever a terror attack occurs in the country, every party must rise above politics, support the government’s actions to crush terrorism, and demonstrate national unity. But Congress leaders engaging in such petty politics instead is tragic and unfortunate for the nation.”
