NEW DELHI: Karnataka chief minister DK Shivakumar on Tuesday denied that Rahul Gandhi pushed him during an opposition march in Delhi, saying the Congress leader had instead expressed concern for his safety amid the crowd, as the BJP intensified its attack over a viral video of the incident.The clarification came amid a political slugfest after Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma shared the footage on X, describing the episode as “public humiliation” and questioning whether Shivakumar would accept such treatment from the Congress leadership.“Rahul Gandhi did not push me during the protest held in Delhi. He showed concern for me by suggesting that I board the vehicle following behind, as the crowd of protesters was large,” Shivakumar told news agency PTI.“No one pushed me during the protest,” he asserted, taking a swipe at the BJP for spreading what he called misinformation, while suggesting that the party had “immense affection” for him.The remarks came as Sarma drew parallels with his own fallout with the Congress before joining the BJP, recalling that he had refused to accept what he considered humiliation.“In 2015, I refused to swallow humiliation, as a proud Assamese. God was kind to me,” Sarma wrote, asking whether Shivakumar would respond similarly.“The chief minister of Karnataka is not just an individual. He is a constitutional office, and the face of a State with a glorious history, a rich culture and deep pride,” he said, adding, “Will he bow to this public humiliation?”The video, recorded during Monday’s ‘March for Democracy’ towards the Supreme Court, purportedly shows Shivakumar moving towards the front of the procession, where Rahul Gandhi was walking alongside Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and AISA chief Neha Bora. Gandhi appears to pull Shivakumar back by the collar of his kurta, after which security personnel move the Karnataka chief minister further back amid the crowd.The Karnataka BJP accused Gandhi of insulting a leader representing seven crore Kannadigas. State BJP president B Y Vijayendra termed the episode a display of arrogance and questioned the respect accorded to Shivakumar by the Congress leadership.
Share your thoughts in the comments
Be respectful · TOI community guidelines
Bengaluru South MP Tejasvi Surya also described the alleged incident as an “insult to the dignity of 7 crore Kannadigas”.Karnataka deputy chief minister G Parameshwara, however, said crowd management during protests was difficult and that security personnel were primarily responsible for protecting Rahul Gandhi. Shivakumar had moved towards that area and was “slightly pushed” amid the crowd, he said.The march was organised by opposition leaders and civil society representatives seeking to raise concerns over alleged irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls. The delegation later sought a meeting with Chief Justice of India Surya Kant, who declined to meet it.