Overview

• At the FKCCI Hall in Bengaluru, Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar used the launch of K.M. Raghu’s biography on him to reiterate that he opted for jail to remain loyal to Congress during the 2019 coalition crisis.
• He recounted receiving a call on an income-tax auditor’s phone, with a Director General present and his brother D.K. Suresh beside him, presenting what he described as a choice between becoming Deputy Chief Minister or going to jail.
• Shivakumar said he rushed from Kanakapura to Bengaluru as up to ten MLAs moved to resign and claimed he brought five to six legislators back to the party quarters.
• He endorsed the biography as largely accurate despite limited author access, emphasized his secular upbringing, and told reporters the government cannot force individuals to share caste-census information when asked about Sudha Murthy’s stance.
• BJP Leader of the Opposition R. Ashoka dismissed the claims as political messaging, urged Shivakumar to disclose specific details of the call, and said his 2019 incarceration was in a corruption case, reflecting a contested narrative.