‘Won’t blame others’, says D K Shivakumar after two Cong leaders attribute him to alleged scam

News Network

October 14, 2021

Bengaluru, Oct 14: The Congress' Karnataka unit president D K Shivakumar said he will not blame anyone for the viral video in which former Lok Sabha member V S Ugrappa and media coordinator M A Saleem attributed him to an alleged scam when he was a Minister.

"People have already spoken whatever they wanted. I will not blame the BJP or the media. We only gave others a chance to use us," Shivakumar told reporters here.

He was responding to the queries on the embarrassing video of the purported conversation between Saleem and Ugrappa on Tuesday ahead of a press meet at the party's meeting hall. In the video, Saleem is purportedly heard calling Shivakumar a 'Collection Giraaki' (extortionist), who allegedly increased the 'commission' in irrigation contracts from eight per cent to 12 per cent.

The party suspended Saleem from the party for six years and served a show-cause notice to Ugrappa, who is Congress spokesperson, seeking an explanation in three days. The Congress state chief said the issue related to the viral video was not personal but pertained to a party, which was built by the lakhs of party workers.

Hitting back at the BJP for targeting him following the viral video, Shivakumar said let the BJP take note of what their leaders have spoken against their leader such as MLC A H Vishwanath, C P Yogeshwar, Ramesh Jarkiholi and Basanagouda Patil Yatnal.

"Why the BJP has not yet answered to the charges levelled by Vishwanath, Yogeeshwar, Ramesh Jarkiholi and Yatnal (against former Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa and his family)? Why are they not speaking about collection during the BJP's tenure," the Congress state chief said.

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‘This is how it began in Gujarat’: Modi outlines BJP’s political ambitions in Kerala

News Network

January 23,2026

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, during his visit to Thiruvananthapuram on Friday, January 23, indicated that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is aiming to expand its political footprint in Kerala ahead of the Assembly elections scheduled in the coming months.

Speaking at a BJP-organised public meeting, Modi drew parallels between the party’s early electoral gains in Gujarat and its recent victory in the Thiruvananthapuram Municipal Corporation. The civic body win, which ended decades of Left control, was cited by the Prime Minister as a possible starting point for the party’s broader ambitions in the state.

Recalling BJP’s political trajectory in Gujarat, Modi said the party was largely insignificant before 1987 and received little media attention. He pointed out that the BJP’s first major breakthrough came with its victory in the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation that year.

“Just as our journey in Gujarat began with one city, Kerala’s journey has also started with a single city,” Modi said, suggesting that the party’s municipal-level success could translate into wider electoral acceptance.

The Prime Minister alleged that successive governments led by the Left Democratic Front (LDF) and the United Democratic Front (UDF) had failed to adequately develop Thiruvananthapuram. He accused both fronts of corruption and neglect, claiming that basic infrastructure and facilities were denied to the capital city for decades.

According to Modi, the BJP’s control of the civic body represents a shift driven by public dissatisfaction with the existing political alternatives. He asserted that the BJP administration in Thiruvananthapuram had begun working towards development, though no specific details or timelines were outlined.

Addressing the gathering at Putharikandam Maidan, Modi said the BJP intended to project Thiruvananthapuram as a “model city,” reiterating his party’s commitment to governance-led change.

The Prime Minister’s visit to Kerala also included the inauguration of several development projects and the flagging off of new train services, as the BJP intensifies its political outreach in the poll-bound state.

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