Mysuru: A day after chief minister Siddaramaiah apparently snubbed his deputy DK Shivakumar for leaving a rally in Mysuru early, the duo jointly offered bagina to Kapila river at Kabini dam in HD Kote taluk Sunday.Though the storage in the dam reached its full capacity last month, the ritual was delayed, drawing criticism. Following reports of tensions between the duo — after Shivakumar hurriedly left Saturday’s Sadhana Samavesha and the CM avoided mentioning his name during his speech — their joint appearance was seen as a show of solidarity.Both leaders arrived together from Mysuru airport, walked side-by-side for nearly 100 metres along the dam’s embankment, performed the rituals, and departed together in a KSRTC bus along with other ministers.Shivakumar contended Sunday that his sudden departure from the Mysuru event was due to personal commitments in Delhi, and it had no political connotation.“I had a pre-scheduled meeting with lawyers in Delhi to discuss my personal matters, which I had informed the CM in advance. After completing the meeting in Delhi, I returned around midnight. There’s no politics here,” he told reporters.Responding to BJP’s claims that he was insulted, Shivakumar said the opposition party “seems to have special affection for me.”“Maybe they love me more because I’m stronger.”Meanwhile, Siddaramaiah also dismissed BJP’s allegation that Shivakumar was insulted at the event. “It is customary to acknowledge leaders present on the stage. Since the DCM was absent at that time, his name was not mentioned. There’s no question of disrespect,” he told reporters. Siddaramaiah accused the saffron party of trying to create controversies for political gain. “They’re under the illusion that such tactics will help them. But they won’t,” he said.On the Sadhana Samavesha, which witnessed a huge turnout, Siddaramaiah said the event was not aimed at countering BJP.“It was to showcase public support for our govt’s work. BJP, which spreads lies, is now trying to imitate our guarantee schemes. But we have already spent Rs 52,000 crore on these guarantees, while they are just making claims,” he said.Responding to concerns over small traders receiving tax notices due to digital payments, Siddaramaiah clarified that GST falls under the jurisdiction of the central govt. “The state govt isn’t responsible. Still, we will discuss the matter with the commercial tax department and the Union govt before taking any action,” he added.On the accident involving his convoy near Mandya, Shivakumar said, “While returning to Bengaluru from the Mysuru convention, my pilot vehicle met with a serious accident. By the grace of Goddess Chamundeshwari, there were no major injuries. After arranging medical treatment for the injured staff, I resumed my journey,” he stated.—Box 1:Investors not moving out: CMSiddaramaiah Sunday said the state govt is making an all out effort to retain all industries and projects in Karnataka. Responding to reports of industries shifting to Andhra Pradesh, he said the investors committed to Karnataka will not move elsewhere. “We are addressing their concerns and ensuring their projects remain in the state.”
