“I’m not in a hurry to occupy the CM seat,” says Deputy CM

Amidst the speculation over the change of leadership in Karnataka, Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar lost his cool and send a serious warning to media outlets that he would stop inviting them to press conference and other programmes for their distorted incidents and statements.

He asserted that he’s not in a hurry for a promotion (as the Chief Minister). He accused the media of misreporting and distorting his statement, and denied saying that the time has come for him to become the Chief Minister. He urged the media to stop sensationalizing the issue.

He even warned to file a defamation case if anyone twists his statement and broadcasts it. “A few media houses are twisting my statement and trying to create a controversy. I never said that time has come for me to become the CM.”

Controversy erupted following the release of a video showing a man telling Shivakumar, “Sir, you have worked hard for 40 years for the party’s growth. It’s only justified that you become the Chief Minister.” He asked him if the “time was nearing”.

The interaction happened as part of Shivakumar’s initiative to engage with senior citizens and morning walkers, aimed at knowing their grievances and also collect feedback on Bengaluru’s development.

As part of that initiative, Shivakumar reached Lalbagh on Saturday morning and began interacting with an elderly man who praised Shhivakumar for the hard work he has put in over the years. He  expressed his desire to see him as the next Chief Minister of the state.

In response to the interaction, some media outlets quoted Shivakumar as saying that the time was near for him to become the CM.

Taking cognizance of the misreporting, the Deputy CM hit out at the media and clarified that he never made such remarks. “It is merely a wish expressed by a citizen. During the public interaction at Lal Bagh, some people said that I must become the Chief Minister. But the media has twisted it and is reporting it as my statement. Don’t twist the news and create a controversy.”

Shivakumar said that he is in politics to serve the people and not to do politics. “If you are going to twist the news like this, I will not cooperate with you,” he said.