Winter session at Suvarna Soudha in Belagavi sees some funny moments with both Dy.CM and Opposition Leader R. Ashoka, airing their views over snatching power by ‘hook or crook’

Belagavi: The ongoing winter session of State Legislative Assembly witnessed some funny moments, as Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar, made no bones of his burning desire to make it to the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO).

As the session resumed, the initial hours witnessed leaders cutting across party lines paying their tributes to former Chief Minister S.M. Krishna. In the absence of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, his deputy Shivakumar, who was addressing the session, recalled the advice of his astrologer.

“The astrologer had advised  you should snatch power by force,” recalled Shivakumar, when R. Ashoka, the Leader of Opposition, who intervened said, “After January, the stars are not in your favour, better kick and snatch CM’s chair now,” only to add fuel to the fire, in a rather witty tone.

Shivakumar said, Krishna as KPCC President had undertaken Panchajanya Yatre, that catapulted party to the seat of power in the elections.

“I myself had prepared a list of probable Cabinet Ministers, but strangely when the list reached the High Command, the names of myself and T.B. Jayachandra were missing. I called astrologer Dwarakanath, who quipped, ‘if you want power, you should grab it by force’.

Following the advice, Shivakumar said that he had to rush to Krishna’s house late in the night and opened the door of Krishna’s house with a kick. Jayachandra who was with me was visibly shaken at that time.

“Sahebre (Boss), I have toiled hard to make you Rajya Sabha Member and also the KPCC President. What would the people think, If I am not included in the Government. You can form the Government only with me on board to take oath along with you or else you won’t be able to form the Government,” said Shivakumar, recalling his terse talks with Krishna, preceding the formation of Congress Government in the year 1999.

Shivakumar was later inducted into Cabinet of Krishna and was given Urban Development portfolio, that is believed as a paradigm shift in political career of the former, who has now reached the office of Dy.CM.