Whether I go to the Kumbh Mela or not is matter of personal belief: Karnataka Dy CM DK Shivakumar
Bengaluru, Feb 5 (PTI): Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar on Wednesday said his plans to visit the ongoing Kumbh Mela in Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh, was part of his personal beliefs and devotion and that no one had the right to question them.
Shivakumar was responding to remarks by Leader of the Opposition in the Karnataka Legislative Assembly, R Ashoka, who commented on reports about the deputy CM's plans to visit the Kumbh Mela while attempting to link it to Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge’s recent statement.
Kharge had questioned whether poverty could be eradicated by taking a dip in the Ganga, alleging that BJP leaders were competing to take dips for the cameras.
"He (Ashoka), the Opposition Leader, thinks he will gain respect in his party by making comments against me. Let anyone say whatever they want—it is a matter of our dharma and karma, our practices, traditions, and beliefs," Shivakumar said.
Speaking to reporters here, he stated that rivers like the Ganga, Cauvery, Krishna, Brahmaputra, Arkavathi, and Vrishabhavathi belong to no one.
"Water has no colour, taste, or shape, and everyone needs water. People say whatever they want—I don’t know what his (Ashoka’s) issue is. Maybe he has some problem. No one has the right to speak about my personal beliefs. My belief and devotion are my personal matters," he said.
BJP leader Ashoka, in a post on 'X', asked, "Won't Kharge now question—will all the sins of Dy CM Shivakumar be washed away as soon as he bathes in the Ganges? Will poverty be eradicated in Karnataka as soon as KPCC President Shivakumar takes a holy dip at the Kumbh Mela?"
When asked about his plans, Shivakumar said that whether he goes to the Kumbh Mela or not is entirely his decision. "It is a matter of my personal belief. Whether I go or not is my personal matter."
Responding to a question about Kharge’s statement, he said, "He said it in a certain context, so why is the media making it an issue?"
"Let Ashoka comment on the Prime Minister’s participation in the Kumbh, not me. Whether I go or not is my personal belief. Let him comment on whether the Prime Minister, Home Minister (Amit Shah), and various leaders from across the country and the world visiting the Kumbh is right or wrong," he added.
When asked about plans for a second airport in Bengaluru, the Deputy Chief Minister, who is also in charge of Bengaluru’s development, said that the matter would be discussed and decided after the Global Investors Meet next week.
"Our Infrastructure Minister (M B Patil) is looking into it. The issue has not yet been discussed and finalised with me and the Chief Minister, though a preliminary meeting has taken place. After the Global Investors Meet, the Chief Minister and all of us will discuss and decide," he said.
Regarding a proposal for a water tariff hike in Bengaluru, Shivakumar said it would be discussed during the next Cabinet meeting.
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'Rear-guard action': BJP over Mamata accepting sports minister's resignation after Messi event
New Delhi (PTI): The BJP on Tuesday alleged that West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's accepting Aroop Biswas' resignation as the state sports minister is nothing but a "rear-guard action" to douse public anger over the mismanagement of football icon Lionel Messi's event last week.
BJP co-in-charge for West Bengal Amit Malviya alleged that this is also an "open confession" that the Messi event fiasco was not accidental but a government-manufactured disaster, borne out of the poor governance of Banerjee, her ministers and the state bureaucracy.
Banerjee on Tuesday accepted Biswas' resignation as the sports minister in the wake of the controversy over the mismanagement of football icon Messi's event last week, a senior leader of the ruling TMC said.
Biswas, who had written to the chief minister seeking to be relieved of his responsibilities as sports minister, will continue as a cabinet minister, retaining charge of the power department.
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Reacting to the development, Malviya said in a post on X, "TMC Sports Minister Aroop Biswas resigns after the Messi fiasco and Mamata Banerjee accepts it in record time."
"Do not mistake this for accountability; this is nothing but a rear-guard action to douse public anger. anger! This is not 'Raj Dharma'," he added.
The BJP leader alleged that the incident was the outcome of "loot" of common people which is "so synonymous" with the TMC.
The incident was also the outcome of the "shameless VIP culture that TMC thrives on and deep-rooted cronyism promoted by Banerjee," he charged.
Malviya further alleged that Biswas' resignation exposes a "collective failure of Mamata Banerjee, her partisan bureaucracy, and her crony cabinet".
"This is a symbolic sacrifice, a political hoax, soon to be buried under layers of bureaucracy, with no justice, no accountability, and no remorse," the BJP leader said, adding, "No resignation will bring back the time lost, the money wasted, or the stolen chance for football lovers to witness Messi in Kolkata."
