DK Shivakumar, former Minister and Congress leader is tipped to be the next Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) president.

A senior party functionary said the party High Command has firmed up its decision and is likely to announce it in a day or two.

Siddaramaiah quit as Leader of the Opposition and leader of the House in the Assembly, and Dinesh Gundu Rao quit the post of president KPCC, after the Congress got a drubbing in the recent by-elections. The party was able to win only two out of 15 seats.

As news of Shivakumar’s elevation broke out, the ruling BJP has been accusing him of trying to appease a section of the society after the Congress leader laid the foundation for the installation of a statue of Jesus Christ at Kapalibetta in his constituency Kanakapura.

Prominent among the BJP leaders who criticised and hit out at Shivakumar were BJP Ministers KS Eshwarappa, S Suresh Kumar and MLA MP. Renukachayra and BJP MPs Ananth Kumar Hegde and Pratap Simha.

For equality

Responding to these attacks, Shivakumar said he believed in “equality and religious tolerance” and that it was his duty to respect the faith of his constituents, who belong to all religions.

He further explained that the cost of the land at Kapalibetta was paid by him.

“I paid the amount from my pocket. There is no controversy. There was a proposal to seek the land about two years ago. But former chief minister H D Kumaraswamy supported me and sanctioned the land. Hundreds of temples of Rama, Shiva, Anjaneya (Hanuman) have been built. I am not for publicity.

I have donated 25 acres for construction of government schools, colleges, industrial training institutes in Kanakapura. I have done my job.”’

The Congress leader said there was no need for him to learn from people who attempted to destroy the Constitution of B.R. Ambedkar.

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