Hotel cancels Minister D K Shivakumar's reservation citing 'some emergency'

Vartha Bharati | 10-07-2019 | 12:09:00 IST

Mumbai: Karnataka Water Resources Minister D K Shivakumar had booked a room in the Mumbai hotel where rebel Congress and JD(S) MLAs from the state are staying but the reservation was cancelled "due to some emergency", the hotel has said.

No charges will be applicable, the Renaissance Hotel in Powai said in an e-mail. The e-mail communication is from the assistant reservation manager to a Ms Hetavi.

"As per our conversation we wish to inform you that we have reservation in the name of DK Shivakumar:REZ775665D2. Due to some emergency in the hotel we need to cancel the reservation. No charges will be applicable," the e-mail reads.

Congress leader Shivakumar, accompanied by senior JD(S) MLAs, is outside the hotel and prevented from entering the hotel. 

The minister said the police was telling him no room was booked in his name, but he insisted that he had booked a room in his name in the hotel.

On Tuesday midnight, 10 of the 12 MLAs put up in the luxury hotel in Powai wrote to Mumbai Police, saying they feared a threat to their lives, and asked that Shivakumar be prevented from entering the hotel.

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Kharge expresses regret over 'illiterate' remark, says he has highest of respect for Gujaratis

08-04-2026 ¦ 08-04-2026 IST

Photo: Mallikarjun Kharge (PTI)

New Delhi (PTI): Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Wednesday expressed regret over his controversial statement calling the people of Gujarat "illiterate", and said he has always had and will continue to have the highest of respect for the people of the state.

In a post on X, the Congress president said, "Some remarks of mine in a recent election speech in Kerala are being deliberately misinterpreted. Even so, I express my sincere regret.

"It was never my intention to hurt the sentiments of the people of Gujarat for whom I have always had and will continue to have the highest of respect."

Kharge on Sunday had sparked a row during his Assembly poll campaign in Kerala, calling the people of Gujarat "illiterate" and claiming they were being "fooled" by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

At the same time, Kharge said neither Modi nor Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan could fool the people of Kerala, describing them as "very clever and educated".

"Don’t misguide the people of Kerala. They are very clever and educated. Modiji, Vijayan, you both can fool people who are illiterate in Gujarat or other places, but you cannot fool the people of Kerala," the Congress chief had said.

He made the remark while alleging that both Modi and Vijayan were following the same path, with no difference between them except the parties they lead.

The BJP on Tuesday had demanded an apology from Kharge for his remarks, saying that the comment was "shameless, demeaning and utterly despicable."

Addressing a press conference here, senior BJP leader and former Union minister Ravi Shankar Prasad asked Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi, Sonia Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra to clarify whether they agreed with Kharge's statement.