‘Rahul Gandhi will not be bothered even if jailed’: DK Shivakumar on National Herald case

Accusing the Centre of pursuing “political vendetta” against Congress MP Rahul Gandhi, Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar alleged that central investigative agencies were being “misused” to target him in the National Herald case.

Addressing reporters at Vidhana Soudha, Shivakumar on Monday said there were “limits to political harassment”, asserting that the National Herald was a party asset and not the personal property of any Congress leader.

“National Herald isn’t a personal property of Sonia Gandhi or Rahul Gandhi. He was a shareholder by virtue of being president. CM and I are also presidents of several Boards and Corporations. As a president, they will have certain shares and they get transferred once they relinquish the post. It is a historic trend for Congress leaders to become presidents of National Herald,” he said.

Reiterating that the publication belonged to the party, he added that previous leaders, including former Prime Minister Morarji Desai, had taken decisions in the institution’s interest.

“They have already announced that neither Young India nor National Herald is private property. Morarji Desai had taken certain decisions in the interest of the party. When the party was in a difficult situation during Sitaram Kesari’s time, party leaders approached Sonia Gandhi and requested her to take party responsibilities,” he said.

He recalled that during the tenure of Sitaram Kesari, Congress leaders had requested Sonia Gandhi to take over party responsibilities when the organisation was facing challenges.

“They are now being targeted for political vendetta. History will repeat. Rahul Gandhi will not be bothered even if he is put in jail, but vendetta politics is not good. Politics must be direct. Let’s fight elections, but don’t torture like this, misusing investigative agencies,” the Dy CM said.

On reports of inviting Chief Minister Siddaramaiah for a breakfast meeting, Shivakumar dismissed speculation, saying, “This is between us. We are working together as brothers. There are no groups among us as you (media) are projecting. We have 140 MLAs and we will take everyone together.”

He also confirmed ongoing discussions with the Chief Minister regarding an all-party meeting in Delhi this week. “As the winter session is going on, we need to brief our MPs about the state’s interests,” he said.

Earlier on Monday, after paying floral tributes to former Chief Minister Kengal Hanumanthaiah on his birth anniversary, Shivakumar praised his contribution to Karnataka’s growth.

“It was Kengal Hanumanthaiah who built Vidhana Soudha and SM Krishna built Vikas Soudha. Kempe Gowda built Bengaluru. Bengaluru is the legacy left behind by these leaders,” he said, adding that their vision laid the foundation for the city’s development.

“If he had not chosen Bengaluru as the capital, the city would not have grown this big. We have to leave behind legacies when we get power,” he added.