I’ll be happiest if Shivakumar comes out of this: BSY

Soon after Congress leader DK Shivakumar’s arrest, Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa on Tuesday said he would “pray to God” wishing for him to come out of the legal tangle.

“It’s not that I’m happy with his arrest. I pray to God that he should come out of all this,” Yediyurappa told reporters. “In my life, neither have I hated anyone nor wished for something bad to happen to someone. Law will take its own course in such cases, but if he comes out, I will be the happiest.”

In fact, Yediyurappa and Shivakumar are known to be good friends outside the political battlefield. The two leaders have acknowledged their friendship several times during debates and discussions on the floor of the Legislative Assembly.

Shivakumar found support in former chief minister HD Kumaraswamy of the JD(S), another good friend of his. “After days of interrogation, without allowing even a day's break for the festival, ED now cites non-cooperation to arrest Shivakumar. The ruling government is using investigation agencies to oppress those opposition leaders who they think are a threat to their interests,” Kumaraswamy said in a tweet.

Congress Legislature Party (CLP) leader Siddaramaiah, with whom Shivakumar shares a not-so-cordial relationship, backed the beleaguered leader. “Shivakumar will definitely come out clean & the whole country will understand the ulterior motives of BJP. We are all with him in these difficult times & shall provide him with full support,” the former CM tweeted.

Earlier in the day, BJP’s deputy chief minister CN Ashwath Narayan had dissed Shivakumar for alleging political vendetta. “Your allegations of political vendetta and gaining sympathy for your misdeeds is not going to work anymore. You will reap what you have sowed! India is on the path of transformation and there is no place for corruption and loot of people's money in a 'New India'. The government is fighting tooth and nail to bring the corrupt and dishonest to justice,” he tweeted.

In the wake of Shivakumar’s arrest, Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) president Dinesh Gundu Rao has ordered all district units of the party to stage protests on Wednesday.