Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar
Credit: DH File Photo
New Delhi: Amid power tussle between Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar and Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, Shivakumar praised the “sacrifice" made by Congress leader Sonia Gandhi to make Manmohan Singh the Prime Minister of the country during the UPA rule, and noted that many don’t even agree to share power.
“If there is any one who has sacrificed their life for the nation, it is Gandhi family. When Abdul Kalam invited Sonia Gandhi to swear in as the PM, she appointed Manmohan Singh instead. When it is difficult to find examples of people declining small posts, she sacrificed the PM’s post. Who else has done such a great sacrifice?” he said.
"From panchayat member or MLA or Minister, no body is ready to sacrifice power, "he said.
He was speaking at a conference on ‘Constitutional Challenges: Pathways and Perspectives” organised by an AICC wing at Delhi on Saturday.
He also thanked Sonia Gandhi for visiting him in Tihar jail when he was there and making him the Karnataka Congress chief.
"I worked hard for three years as the KPCC president to strengthen the organisation and brought the party to power by breaking the 'double-engine government' in the state," he said.
Shivakumar credited the Congress and the Gandhi family for uniting the country and the party, as he urged lawyers to set up legal banks to protect voting rights.
The eight-time legislator from Karnataka recalled the days when he was lodged in Tihar jail and lauded the role played by lawyers in helping him come out of it.
Recalling Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's 'Bharat Jodo Yatra', Vokkaliga leader said, wherever Rahul Gandhi travelled in Karnataka, the Congress won in assembly polls.
“If we dedicate our mind, body and soul from today, we can bring Congress party back to power in 2029 and we can make Rahul Gandhi the prime minister. We have to come back to power to protect democracy and the Constitution,” he said.