DK Shivakumar sulks over elusive reward

BENGALURU: Amid the bonhomie between the Congress and JD(S) leaders and the show of unity by non-BJP stalwarts at the swearing-in of HD Kumaraswamy as chief minister, one person who is upset and disappointed is DK Shivakumar. Widely hailed for single-handedly keeping the Congress-JD(S) MLAs together and preventing any defections, he’s upset that there has not been a commensurate recognition from his party or from the coalition for his work.

Sources close to him say that he’s miffed that the Congress high command did not reward him instantly for the work he has done. He was expecting to be sworn-in as a minister along with G Parameshwara on Wednesday or for an announcement that he will head the state Congress unit, a post which will fall vacant now. Neither happened.

It is said that Shivakumar was so angry that all his supporters and his brother, Bengaluru rural MP DK Suresh, vacated Hotel Hilton on Tuesday night where all the Congress MLAs are staying. Though Shivakumar sought to play down the situation saying that he moved out of the hotel as he had not gone home for a month and wanted to freshen up, his public statement revealed the hurt.

“Is it the same for those who win just one seat and those who win the state? Parameshwara has been the KPCC chief for the last eight years. For quite some time he has been saying that he will step down. For the last eight years some leaders have been waiting to get that post with their jaws hanging. I am not such a person. Everything has a muhurat and the time has to come. I have not come to politics to take sanyas and will play chess not football. Let the party decide what I should do, I will wait and watch,’’ Shivakumar told the media.

Sources said he had a five minute chat with AICC president Rahul Gandhi at the hotel when Sonia Gandhi and Rahul met the legislators to thank them for staying united.

During the meeting with Rahul, the ex- minister is said to have become emotional saying that putting the income-tax department raids behind him he had been striving for the party but when it came to reward, he’s not considered. Rahul is reported to have pacified him by saying that he should understand the circumstances under which the coalition has been formed and the party was well aware of his work.

On Wednesday morning, Shivakumar’s house was swarming with workers, who were also agitated. He pacified them saying as a loyal Congress worker he will not do anything. Later, at Vidhana Sabha, Shivakumar was his usual confident, in-charge self, chaperoning the MLAs.