Kumaraswamy warns BJP leaders against bid to 'kill' democracy

Former Karnataka chief minister H D Kumaraswamy on Friday cautioned BJP leaders against attempting to 'kill' democracy through 'vendetta politics' by getting Congress leader D K Shivakumar arrested in an alleged money laundering case "Power is not permanent. Hence, if we dont put an end to the attempt to kill democracy, it will affect you too. Remember, the wheel of time turns," Kumaraswamy reminded the BJP leaders while talking to reporters at Kanakapura.

The JD(S) leader was speaking to reporters after meeting Shivakumars mother to sympathise with her after her son was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate. Shivakumars family has a grouse that he was not let free on Ganesha Chaturthi festival when the community they belong to pays homage to their ancestors, he said.

Kumaraswamy claimed that Shivakumars arrest was linked to the Rajya Sabha elections in Gujarat in 2017. He said, When the Rajya Sabha elections in Gujarat were taking place and the BJP wanted to hijack the Gujarat MLAs, Shivakumar provided them security as a committed Congress soldier and did not let it happen." The former chief minister slammed the BJP leaders demanding to know where the central agencies like Income Tax and ED were when the BJP was allegedly out to buy the Congress and the JD(S) MLAs during the tenure of the erstwhile coalition government.

The Congress-JD(S) coalition government collapsed following the resignation of the 17 Congress-JD(S) MLAs. After its exit, the BJP led by chief minister B S Yediyurappa came to power and proved its majority.

The former chief minister reminded the BJP that he too had the opportunity to 'fix' Yediyurappa in an audio tape case in a purported conversation to lure Gurmitkal MLA Naganagouda Kandkur in February this year. He claimed that the matter relating to the alleged suicide of V G Siddhartha, Caf Coffee Day owner and son-in-law of former chief minister S M Krishna, who had complained of harassment by I-T and ED officials in his e-mail, was closed.

Protesting Shivakumar's arrest, Congress workers and Shivakumar's supporters staged protests in Ramanagar, Mandya, Mysuru and many other parts of the state. The Congress and the JD(S) have termed Shivakumar's arrest as an outcome of 'vendetta politics', a charge the BJP has rubbished, saying that Shivakumar was 'paying the price for his misdeeds'.PTI GMS NVG NVG.