Inform Ashwath about my Bengaluru ties: DKS

NT Correspondent

Bengaluru: Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar on Tuesday hit back at former minister and BJP bigwig CN Ashwath Narayan for suggesting that the former didn’t have ties to Bengaluru city. The saffron party leader had been referring to the fact that Shivakumar was a native of Kanakapura taluk in Ramanagara district and represented the Kanakapura constituency in the Assembly as well.

Ramanagara district had been a part of Bengaluru Rural earlier. However, the Deputy CM now held the powerful Bengaluru Development portfolio. Shivakumar “reminded” Ashwath that he had studied in Bengaluru as a sixth standard school boy in National Public School (NPS) in Rajaji Nagar. He also has a residence in Bengaluru’s Sadashivanagar.

“Ashwath Narayan doesn’t know the history of my relationship with Bengaluru. This is why he is speaking the way he is. Let him be informed about my ties to Bengaluru,” Shivakumar said. “I left my village and came to Bengaluru to study in sixth standard. I then began my education here in National Public School in Rajaji Nagar. Kempegowda built both Bengaluru Urban and Rural districts.

“There is a fort built by Kempegowda near Sangam close to the Tamil Nadu border. It is being preserved and developed right now. Near that fort are the houses of Veerendra Patil and Nijalingappa. Also close to those homes is the house that belonged to my father Doddalahalli Kempegowda. I sold it recently. This is my relationship with Benagluru, which was built by Kempegwoda,” he added.

Interestingly, there seem to be no hard feelings as Shivakumar and Narayan shared the stage with fellow Vokkaliga and pontiff of the Adichunchunagiri mutt Niramalandanatha Swamy during the official Kempegowda Jayanti celebrations.