On Rahul’s diktat, DKShi apologises to Aland MLA Patil

NT Correspondent

Following re - ported instructions from former Congress president Rahul Gandhi, KPCC President D.K.Shivakumar has given an apology in writing to Aland Congress MLA B.R.Patil who was pushed aside by Shivakumar during the Congress padayatra over the Mekedatu project issue.

Till now, Shivakumar had not apologised to Patil, a prominent Lingayat leader in Kalyana-Karnataka, after this incident. The Lingayat leaders had even planned to take out a protest march against Shivakumar for insulting their leader. After the issue came to the notice of Leader of the Opposition Siddaramaiah and KPCC Working President Eshwar Khandre, it was brought to the notice of senior leader Rahul Gandhi who is learnt to have told Shivakumar to tender an apology to Patil. Based on instructions from Rahul, the PCC president wrote to Patil offering an apology for the incident saying it was accidental and unintentional. He also said he did not mean to insult Patil who is a noted Congress leader in Kalyana-Karnataka region.