Rubbishing Janata Dal (Secular) State president H.D. Kumaraswamy’s allegations that he screened porn films in cinemas he operated earlier, Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar on Tuesday said he would quit politics if the charges are proved.
Asking the former Chief Minister to go to the Kanakapura Assembly constituency personally and check with the people about his involvement in any such activity, the Karnataka Congress chief called Kumaraswamy ‘a frustrated man’.
Speaking to presspersons at his residence in Bengaluru, Mr. Shivakumar said, “Mr. Kumaraswamy is becoming a laughing stock with his baseless allegations. Kumaraswamy is casting aspersions without any basis. People are watching all this and are laughing at him. It won’t do him any good”.
Mr. Kumaraswamy had recently accused Mr. Shivakumar of earning a livelihood by screening ‘blue films’ at cinema tents (halls) run by him at Doddaalahalli (Shivakumar’s native place) and near Sathanur in Kanakapura.
“Kumaraswamy is growing desperate by the day. Let him go to Kanakapura constituency and ask the people, including his own party workers, if D.K. Shivakumar is screening any immoral movies in his theatres. If the people hold me guilty, I will retire from politics. If you are unable to prove your allegations, what will you do?” he challenged.
“The words of a former Chief Minister must have a certain decorum. The people of my constituency have elected me by a huge margin of 1.23 lakh votes though I am unable to visit the constituency regularly. That is possible only because people respect me,” he said.
Mr. Kumaraswamy is raising these issues now, why did he not level these allegations when his father contested elections against me, he asked.
Survey of drought-hit areas
Responding to a query on BJP’s plan to tour the drought-hit regions of the State, he said, “Let BJP first take its MPs to Delhi and get drought relief funds released. What is the point in simply touring the drought-hit areas?”
BJP is entitled to tour the drought-affected regions, but they must convince the Centre to increase the number of man-days of MGNREGA from 100 days to 150 days, the KPCC chief said.
