When Karnataka's Energy Minister DK Shivakumar emerged at 10am on Saturday, after three days of house arrest, he appeared a confident man. The Congress leader, who was prescribed anxiety medication during the raids, was seen walking the corridors of Karnataka Legislative Assembly and thanking his colleagues with a smile, hours after the raids.
While the Congress hailed it as the glorious return of their go-to crisis manager, the BJP eagerly waits for the report of the Income Tax department (I-T).
In his brief statement outside his Sadashivanagar residence, Shivakumar said: “I am not a fool, I came here to do politics.” He insisted that he had not let down his party and thanked his senior leaders for standing by him during the crisis.
About the raids he said: “I don’t want to comment on what was seized from my house. I will talk about it once I get the panchanama documents.”
While the minister's mother hit out against Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Friday, Shivakumar chose to downplay her words and even apologised for the same.
I would like to apologise for what my mother said about the Chief Minister while the I-T raids were going on at my house. My aged mother is not educated. And she does not know under whose jurisdiction the I-T department comes. At a time of stress, some media organisations used her innocence to make her say these things about the CM. I would like to apologise to the CM and the people of the state for the unintentional remarks of my mother.DK Shivakumar’s letter to CM Siddaramaiah
DKS, as he is known in political circles, had his priorities clear as he spoke to the media. He announced that he will be joining the 42 Gujarat MLAs at Eagleton resort and within an hour.
DK Shivakumar's seeming confidence acted as a morale booster for Congress MLAs from Gujarat, who were facing criticism for being away from their flood affected constituencies.
Shivakumar arrived while the MLAs were speaking to the media, following their interaction with the Governor. As his SUV drove in, the statement was cut short and the MLAs hurried to shake hands with their host. Soon DKS also joined in on an elaborate show of strength in the corridors Vidhan Soudha.
Although DKS appears confident, the I-T department is yet to release the details of the raids conducted at over 60 locations across the country. It also remains unclear if the Enforcement Directorate (ED) will step in.
In any case, the return of DK Shivakumar days before the Gujarat MLAs are to return home for the Rajya Sabha elections is a morale boost for the Congress party.
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