Kalaburagi:  In what can be described as a reply to the Jarakiholi brothers who have expressed their strong resentment over his alleged interference in the affairs of Belagavi, Minister for Water Resources D.K. Shivakumar (DKS) made it clear that he cannot be restrained from going to Belagavi adding that as a State-level leader, he has every right to go to any part of the State wherever issues crop up.

“I’m not only Minister for Water Resources and Medical Education; I am also Chairman of the KPCC Campaign Committee. If any leader of my party in any part of the State seeks my help, it’s my duty to go there and help them,” he declared during an interaction with reporters at Kalaburagi yesterday.

“If I have God’s blessings, I will definitely become the Chief Minister but I am in no hurry to occupy the top post,” he told reporters after performing pujas to Lord Dattatreya at Ganagapura.  

When pointed out that the present crisis had cropped up due to his ‘interference’ in Belagavi Congress affairs, Shivakumar candidly admitted that he was in politics to exercise his authority. “My responsibility is the entire State. I have even visited Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Gujarat and Assam to manage political developments there. It’s wrong on the part of Jarakiholi brothers not to expect me go to their territory (Belagavi). I expect them to come to my area and do politics too. We are friends, what is wrong in it?” he wondered.

Asked whether the present crisis would affect the coalition government, he blamed the media for blowing the incident out of proportion.

“There are many BJP leaders who have been in touch with several Congress MLAs. We know all the developments and we are preventing their every strategy. I am speaking from the premises of a temple and I am neither telling lies nor have I done anything wrong,” DKS said.

On whether he was ruffled by this crisis he replied in the negative. “Leave politics, many major developments took place. Did I get unnerved at any point of time?”  he asked.