Bengaluru: Instead of looking tense and upset after an enforced 72 hour incarceration, and being at the receiving end of an IT sleuth search and raid of his home and 60 other offices and residences of kin and associates, across the state and days of intense interrogation, a serene dhoti clad Energy Minister D. K. Shivakumar emerged from his home on Saturday morning to speak to the media that had kept vigil outside his Sadashivnagar house.
However, while remaining unfailingly polite in the face of the media barrage, he refused to answer any questions, only saying " Panchanama bandmele naanu maathadthini." In other words, only after getting the Panchanama report, in which details of the seizures made by the IT officers will be specified, would he speak.
But he did say "I have not done anything against the law or the constitution, and I am not that kind of person."
Although unhappy with the coverage on television, he even thanked journalists, saying "you may show good or bad things, that's your wish but truth has to prevail one day, "even apologizing to them for not being able to take care of them through his inmtensethree day trial by media.
Waving to his supporters from the balcony, he was seen shaking hands with the IT officers as they left. Within hours, the minister was back in action, supervising the first ever outing from the resort of the 44 Gujarat MLAs as they visited Raj Bhavan and then the Mahatma Gandhi statue, next to the Vidhana Soudha, where they staged a symbolic protest against what they alleged were attempts to poach them by the BJP, chanting “Raghupati Raghav Raja Ram” bhajan that is popularly associated with Mahatma Gandhi.
Ar the Gandhi statue, they made a public display of support for the Congress leader, raising slogans - Hum Sab Ek Hain, Hum Sab DKS Ke Saath Hain (We are united....We are with DKS).
At his home earlier, he had thanked his party leaders across the nation and even the leaders of other parties, party workers, officials and police for standing by him during the time of crisis. Later, he went to Ajjaiah temple of Sri Kadasiddeshwara Math in Vijayanagar, where he took part in a puja.
While he was about to leave, a reporter asked him whether he will be having the same 'power' in politics after the IT raids, to which he replied, “I am not naive. I came to Bengaluru to pursue a career in politics.”
