Daijiworld Media Network – Bengaluru (MS)

Bengaluru, Jul 11: “When someone commits a mistake, we scold. That is our expression of love,” said KPCC president D K Shivakumar clarifying the issue of slapping a Congress worker for keeping his hand on his shoulder.

Speaking to the scribes at his residence at Sadashivanagar in the city, Shivakumar said, “He is our boy. Our distant relative. I scolded him as he placed his hand on my shoulder saying what will others think. It is true that I hit him hard. It is natural to scold someone close to us while he or she commits a mistake. That is an expression of love. All of us commit mistakes. There is no need to hype this matter."

“Hundreds of crores have been spent for census from the state exchequer. So it should not go to waste. This is conveyed to me by the leaders of backward classes. There is nothing wrong with what they are asking. I do not know what is there in the report. I cannot speak like others in this context as I am president of state Congress. We will discuss this with the leader of the opposition party. Let us see what is the stance of the BJP in this matter. When we inquired they said that they know nothing at all and no report has been submitted in this connection.”

Responding to the issue of a crack in the KRS dam, Shivakumar said, “I was the in-charge minister of Mandya during the reign of Siddaramaiah. I also worked as an irrigation minister. No one notified me regarding the illegal mining near the KRS dam. If asphalt is produced 10 to 15 km away it will not make any difference to the structure of the dam. The mining ministry is there. It has got their jurisdiction. There is a geology department also. Hundreds of engineers are there. They will look into this. Let us not create unnecessary panic among the people. I will not talk about such matters. This is a sensitive issue. KRS dam is the property of this country. We should not create a stir on it.”