D K Shivakumar wades into controversy by waving JD(S) flag
Bengaluru: Congress leader D K Shivakumar has drawn flak from some of his party leaders for holding the JD(S) flag when he returned here from Delhi after getting bail in a money laundering case. A video of the incident has since gone viral.
A video of former Chief Minister and Congress leader Siddaramaiah criticising Shivakumar for the act, in a private conversation, is also now in wide circulation in social media.
In the video, Siddaramaiah is heard saying that Lingayats, a prominent community of Karnataka seen backing the BJP, are now distancing themselves with Lingayat strongman and Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa, and the Vokkaligas, another dominant community, are disenchanted with JD(S) and H D Kumaraswamy.
Justifying his act, Shivakumar said, "... wherever I go, people give me a number of flags including the Kannada flag and people from all walks of life come to meet me. Even now there are three JD(S) MLAs waiting to meet me. Can I tell them not to come?"
Shivakumar insisted that holding flag was not a big deal as he has been "a born Congressman". "I came straight to the Congress office, which is a temple for me," he clarified. Siddaramaiah termed making the video of his private conversation an act of mischief as it was an internal discussion.
Seeking to downplay Siddaramaiah's criticism, Shivakumar said, "Siddaramaiah has lots of love towards me." Kumaraswamy slammed Siddaramaiah for his comment in the video.
"Siddaramaiah is pure secular and we, who had supported him, are communal," Kumaraswamy sarcastically said. "Shivakumar might have held the JD(S) flag because some of our party workers went to support him. It doesn't require a big analysis," Kumaraswamy said.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
NIA raids multiple locations in J&K in Red Fort blast case
New Delhi/Srinagar (PTI): The National Investigation Agency on Monday conducted searches at various locations in Jammu and Kashmir in connection with its probe into the Red Fort car bomb blast case, officials said.
“The searches are being conducted at nine places in various locations of J-K,” an NIA spokesperson said.
The locations included the Handwara area of Kupwara district, Rafiabad in Baramullah district, and places in Kulgam and Srinagar districts, among others, the officials said.
At least 13 people were killed, and several others were injured in the blast near the Red Fort that shook the national capital on November 10 last year.
The blast was triggered by suicide bomber Umar Un Nabi, a medical doctor and assistant professor at Al Falah University in Faridabad, Haryana, who blew up an explosive-laden car he was driving outside the iconic monument.
The NIA has so far arrested 11 accused in the case.
