'Siddaramaiah was scared': DK Shivakumar on Bengaluru steel flyover, remark on Karnataka CM sparks row

Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar has once again brought into focus the fragile peace holding the Karnataka Congress government together. In a remark that is bound to spark a buzz in the state's political circles, DK Shivakumar said he would have gone ahead with a project that Chief Minister Siddaramaiah was "scared" to proceed with in his earlier term.

Addressing the Assembly at an event to mark the birth anniversary of Kempegowda I, a chieftain during Vijayanagar empire, Shivakumar said he receives many requests for construction of tunnels and flyovers.

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"In 2017, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and KJ George, who was the then Bengaluru City Development minister, were scared about protests against a steel flyover in the city. If it were me, I wouldn't have succumbed to the noise made by protesters and gone ahead with the project," DK Shivakumar said.

This statement by the Deputy Chief Minister comes barely a month after the party formed the government in the state after a thumping election victory. The Congress' win was followed by hard negotiations for several days as both Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar wanted the Chief Minister post.

Reacting to DK Shivakumar's remark, state minister Priyank Kharge said, "I wouldn't say that Siddaramaiah got scared. The Chief Minister is sensitive to public opinion. Sometimes, false narratives get floated and good decisions are delayed. I think that is what the Deputy Chief Minister meant."

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While both Siddarmaiah and DK Shivakumar have put up a united front, the opposition BJP has been stressing that it is only a matter of time before the cracks within the government widen and topple it.

Recently, senior BJP leader and former minister R Ashoka said, "CM Siddaramaiah is silent but Deputy CM Shivakumar is violent. In every meeting, Shivakumar speaks ahead of the CM."