Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar on Monday threatened legal action against the top BJP brass for allegedly twisting his remarks and carrying out a false propaganda and disinformation campaign against him.

His comments come after the BJP disrupted parliamentary proceedings earlier in the day against Shivakumar’s “will change the Constitution” remark.

Advertisement

When media persons caught up with the Karnataka minister at his residence, he stoutly denied that he ever said “we would change the Constitution”. “ The BJP is carrying out propaganda. I will fight it legally,” he asserted.

On BJP’s criticism about his statement to a private TV channel on the issue of reservation for Muslims in the Constitution, he said, “BJP is twisting my statement. I have been in public life for 36 years and have basic common sense. But the BJP is misleading people. My name is being dragged into BJP’s disinformation campaign.”

Shivakumar maintained that his remarks were factual.

“All that I said was that there is precedence of changing the Constitution based on Court’s orders. I have never said we will change the Constitution. Congress is a national party which brought the Constitution in the first place.

“We understand the importance of the Constitution better than others. The Centre has failed the people in the recent Budget and hence it is trying to rake up other issues. It is part of BJP’s continued political conspiracy,” he said.

Asked about BJP IT cell head Amit Malviya’s post on X platform, the Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister said, “He is misleading the nation. BJP has always tried to take the country down the wrong path. Let them show proof of me saying the Constitution needs to be changed. This is cheap politics from the BJP.

“They don’t get sleep if they don’t take the name of Sonia Gandhi, her family and Congress party. BJP is an expert in falsifying information and carrying out propaganda campaigns,” he said.

When questioned as to under which criteria the reservation was given to Muslims, Shivakumar said, “The reservation has been given on the basis of a report from the Backward Classes Commission. The issue is in the Court in Maharashtra, Haryana and a few other states. Some changes have been allowed based on the Court orders in different states.”

When his attention was drawn to a statement by another BJP leader, Sambit Patra, Shiakumar said, “He (Sambit Patra) won’t get sleep if he doesn’t take Gandhi family’s name. This is purely a conspiracy against the Congress party.”

The Congress leader reiterated that he will take legal action against all those twisting his statements but added, “It would be difficult to do so if these statements are made within the House, but will surely pursue if they are made outside the Parliament.