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Tihar link in Shivakumar's visit to Delhi for wedding amid Karnataka CM tussle
DK Shivakumar attended the wedding of the son of former IAS officer Sanjeev Kumar, whom the leader befriended during his nearly 50-day stint in jail in 2019.
Karnataka deputy chief minister DK Shivakumar flew into Delhi on Wednesday to attend the wedding of a former bureaucrat’s son, a day after his second breakfast meeting with chief minister Siddaramaiah amid a tussle for the top position in the state.
Shivakumar attended the wedding of the son of former Haryana IAS officer Sanjeev Kumar, whom the Congress leader befriended during his nearly 50-day stint in jail in 2019 on corruption allegations, people aware of the matter told HT.
Initially a whistleblower, Kumar spent a decade in jail in connection with the state teacher recruitment scam, in which former chief minister Om Prakash Chautala was the main accused. Kumar was released in 2021 after finishing his jail term. Shivakumar and Kumar kept in touch, said the person cited above.
Speaking to reporters after arriving in Delhi, Shivakumar scotched speculations that he was in town to attend political meetings.
“I have come to attend my friend’s son’s wedding, first thing. Second thing, I want to make arrangements for the 14th Vote Chori rally. We are expecting more than 10,000 people to come from Karnataka. I wanted to discuss with friends and colleagues about the arrangements. That’s why I have come.... I am responsible for all these things,” he said.
The deputy CM, who also holds the post of Karnataka state Congress chief, said he will return early Thursday morning as a cabinet meeting is scheduled at 11am. He said he was not meeting anyone from the party high command.
“No, I am not expected to meet anyone because all of them are busy with the Parliament. We have to take Karnataka forward together, work together, live together and bring back the party together,” Shivakumar added.
In Karnataka, Siddaramaiah reached Mangaluru to take part in an event to commemorate the centenary of social reformer Sri Narayana Guru’s meeting with Mahatma Gandhi.
Congress general secretary KC Venugopal also attended the Mangaluru event. Later, Siddaramaiah had a meeting and a lunch with Venugopal.
When reporters pointed out that Shivakumar was going to Delhi, Siddaramaiah replied, “Let him go. Has anyone said no to him?” Asked if he would go, he firmly said, “I will go only when I am invited. I was not invited, so I am not going.” He added that if there is any direction from the party high command for a meeting in Delhi, it would be conveyed through Venugopal.
Shivakumar was lodged in Tihar jail after he was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on September 3, 2019 in a money laundering case. He was released on October 23 after the Delhi high court granted him bail. Shivakumar has often talked about the unfairness of his incarceration and said he was jailed for not joining the Bharatiya Janata Party, a charge refuted by the party.
The development comes amid months of reports about internal divisions in the state –– driven by Shivakumar’s desire to be elevated to the top job, and Siddaramaiah’s reluctance to make way. All of this played out amid talk of an agreement between the two leaders over power sharing after the 2023 assembly election, with each having a two-and-half year run. That milestone was crossed in October.
