MANDYA: KPCC president DK Shivakumar on Saturday allegedly slapped a man who attempted to put his arms around him, drawing criticism on social media and from the BJP.
In the video that has gone viral, Shivakumar was purportedly seen getting irritated by the action of the man, a JD(S) worker, who tried to get close to the Congress veteran and put his hand over him. Shivakumar was in Mandya to meet ailing ex- minister G Made Gowda.
Shivakumar, who lost his cool, told the man: “...you should behave yourself. Just because I’m friendly, it doesn’t mean that you can do whatever you want in public. You should behave responsibly and know how to treat a party president.” ’
BJP dubbed Shivakumar a “rowdy”. Sharing the two-minute video on its official Twitter handle, it said: “Being the president of a national party, it is unforgivable to assault a man.”
Tweeting the video, BJP national general secretary CT Ravi asked Congress MP Rahul Gandhi whether he had given “licence for violence” to Shivakumar, whom he referred to as a follower of Kotwal Ramachandra, an underworld don of Bengaluru in the 1970s and 1980s.
‘Wanted to take selfie’
“Though I’m a JD(S) member, I had gone to meet DK Shivakumar and take a selfie with him because I’m his fan since he was one of our community (Vokkaliga) leaders. But his action has disappointed me. He should change his attitude if he has to grow,” said Umesh, the JD(S) worker.
