Davangere South Assembly seat does not belong to any particular community: D K Shivakumar

New Delhi: Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar on Friday asserted that the Davangere South Assembly seat does not belong to any particular community, including the Muslim community.

He credited the late Minister Shyamanur Shivashankarappa with nurturing and protecting the constituency as a traditional Congress bastion.

Acknowledging that the Muslim community has a sizable population in the segment and had sought a ticket for one of its leaders, Shivakumar said there was nothing wrong in their demand.

“After discussions with prominent Muslim leaders and with their consent, the Congress party has decided to field Samarth Shyamanur as its candidate for the bypoll,” he told reporters here.

Responding to questions about discontent among Muslims over disciplinary action taken against some community leaders for anti-party activities in Davangere South segment bypoll, the Deputy Chief Minister said the Congress government had extended maximum benefits to the Muslim community during its rule.

He also dismissed allegations of the party targeting Muslim leaders, stating that the Congress has never targeted any particular community.

On speculation about the possible resignation of Minorities Affairs Minister B Z Zameer Ahmed Khan, Shivakumar said, “I don’t know. I only read about it in the newspapers.”

When asked why he left the Cabinet meeting midway at Bengaluru on Thursday, he clarified: “The Davangere South Assembly bypoll issue was not discussed in the Cabinet. I left early as I had some urgent work to attend to.”

Reacting to the conviction of Congress MLA Vinay Kulkarni, Shivakumar expressed confidence in the judiciary. “I hope he will get justice from the judiciary. I too have faced cases and received justice. The BJP has hatched a conspiracy to politically finish Vinay Kulkarni,” he alleged.