Karnataka chief minister DK Shivakumar on Tuesday denied being pushed by leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi during a protest march to Supreme Court. The INDIA bloc held a march on Monday seeking Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar's resignation.
Shivakumar said that Rahul Gandhi didn't push him aside, but was only concerned for him because the crowd was massive. "Rahul Gandhi did not push me during the protest held in Delhi. He showed concern for me by suggesting that I board the vehicle following behind, as the crowd of protesters was large," Shivakumar was quoted as saying by news agency PTI.
Shivakumar dismissed BJP's claims suggesting he was pushed by Gandhi. "No one pushed me during the protest," he asserted, while taking a swipe at the BJP, saying it had "immense affection" for him and was therefore spreading "misinformation".
BJP shares viral clip, slams Rahul
Deep Dive
Why did the INDIA bloc march to the Supreme Court?
Did Rahul Gandhi push DK Shivakumar during the INDIA bloc march?
Why did DK Shivakumar appear to be pulled back in the viral march video?
The chief minister's clarification came a day after a clip showing Shivakumar being pulled back while walking alongside Gandhi went viral. Sharing the video, the Karnataka BJP said Kannadigas will never forgive Rahul Gandhi and the Congress party.
“Preventing him (Shivakumar) from approaching Rahul Gandhi and pushing him away in such an inhumane manner is a grave insult to the entire state of Karnataka by the Congress party. Kannadigas will never forgive Rahul Gandhi and the Congress party,” the party said in a tweet.
{{/usCountry}}“Preventing him (Shivakumar) from approaching Rahul Gandhi and pushing him away in such an inhumane manner is a grave insult to the entire state of Karnataka by the Congress party. Kannadigas will never forgive Rahul Gandhi and the Congress party,” the party said in a tweet.
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Bengaluru South BJP MP Tejasvi Surya also shared the clip, saying Rahul Gandhi grabbed the Karnataka CM by the collar during the march.
"From Rajiv Gandhi unceremoniously announcing Veerendra Patil's removal as Karnataka CM at an airport to Rahul Gandhi pulling D K Shivakumar by his kurta in the middle of a road, the Congress dynasty's sense of entitlement remains unchanged," he posted on 'X'.
Earlier, Karnataka Deputy CM G Parameshwara also dismissed allegations of Gandhi deliberately pushing Shivakumar and said that crowd control during protests is challenging.
"During a protest, crowd control is not easy. The primary responsibility of the security personnel there was to protect Rahul Gandhi and ensure that people could not easily approach him. Unfortunately, the Chief Minister also moved towards that area and was slightly pushed amid the crowd," he explained, according to PTI.
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Gandhi, Shivakumar and others were marching towards the Supreme Court after the Chief Justice of India Surya Kant declined a meeting with Opposition leaders.