Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) president D K Shivakumar on Wednesday rejected a demand by a party worker for a ‘Shivakumarotsava’ to be held on the lines of Siddaramotsava, the moniker referring to Leader of the Opposition Siddaramaiah’s 75th birthday event scheduled next month.
“I don’t want any utsava (festival). I want only Congress Utsava,” Shivakumar said.
He was responding to a plea by Honakere (Mandya) gram panchayat member G C Raju that Shivakumar’s birthday (May 15) should be celebrated on the lines of what is being planned for Siddaramaiah on August 3. Raju said Shivakumar deserved it given his loyalty to the party.
“I have nothing to do with what admirers say. For my birthday, I asked my followers not to issue advertisements. I went with my family to Kedarnath. The day I took charge as KPCC president, I said we should worship the party and not individuals,” Shivakumar said, adding that his only goal is that the Congress should form the next government in Vidhana Soudha.
On why he did not attend the Siddaramaiah - 75 Amrut Mahotsava Committee’s preparatory meeting, Shivakumar said: “I have to attend a preparatory meeting on India’s 75th Amrit Mahotsava for which the party is planning to have programmes.”
Published 13 July 2022, 17:06 IST