JOIN USMeeting between Anand Singh, Shivakumar sparks speculation
Speculation was rife on Monday after Tourism Minister Anand Singh visited Karnataka Congress president D K Shivakumar while Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai declined to comment on it.
Notably, Singh went to Shivakumar’s house in his private car.
The visit created a buzz in political circles, with speculation that Singh may be manoeuvring after he was not made in charge of the new Vijayanagar district, the creation of which he lobbied for. Singh got Koppal while Vijayanagar went to Shashikala Jolle.
Singh, a party hopper, was a minister in the earlier BJP government (2008-13). He joined the Congress in 2018 just before the Assembly polls. However, he returned to the BJP in 2019 as part of the defections that brought the Congress-JD(S) coalition down.
Shivakumar said the minister visited him to discuss a tourism project. “When I was the minister in charge of Ballari, a Tunga Aarathi was performed. I had requested Singh to see if a similar aarathi can be done at Mekedatu for the Cauvery and Arkavathi rivers. Singh said he will come for a personal discussion on this. He said he will appoint a team of officials to work on the proposal,” he said.
During the post-result drama in May 2018, when the Congress-JD(S) coalition had to safeguard its legislators from being poached by the BJP, it was Shivakumar who personally ensured Singh stayed on.
Dismissing speculation, Shivakumar said there is no need to give Singh’s visit any political colour. “If we had to discuss politics, we wouldn’t do it at home. There are guesthouses or hotels for that. It’s common sense. Being a minister, he visited an opposition leader’s house. So, there’s no politics here,” he said.
On why he went in a private car to see Shivakumar, Singh said, “My brother-in-law, a poor man, lives in the narrow lanes of Munireddy Palya. If I had taken my (big) car, I would have had to walk a distance to reach his house. My wife isn't in town. So, he had called me home for breakfast. On my way back, I got a call from Shivakumar. I dropped by to see him on the way. If I had known that this would become such a big news, I'd not have gone at all.”
Singh further said he is not unhappy with Koppal. “I went to Koppal happily to hoist the tricolour on Republic Day,” he said.
Transport Minister B Sriramulu said Singh will not leave the BJP. “His visit to Shivakumar was not about politics. He won’t quit,” Sriramulu, who is seen as Singh’s aide from the undivided Ballari, said.
The Singh-Shivakumar visit comes at a time when both BJP and Congress have been making claims on defections in the run-up to the 2023 Assembly polls.
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