D K Shivakumar breaks down, thanks Sonia Gandhi

Overwhelmed with the thumping victory his party has registered, Karnataka Congress president DK Shivakumar broke down on Saturday while remembering the time he spent in jail.

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“I can’t forget Sonia Gandhi visiting me in jail...when BJP people put me in jail,” Shivakumar said, sobbing and almost choking.

Shivakumar said he “chose to be” in jail, a reference to a claim he had made in the past that he opted for imprisonment against the BJP’s offer of making him deputy chief minister.

In September-October 2019, Shivakumar spent 50 days in Tihar Jail in connection with a money laundering case.

Shivakumar said he had assured Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi and Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge that Karnataka will be delivered.

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“People have trusted us with a majority. People have reposed faith in us. It’s a collective leadership that has worked. I thank all my leaders, including Siddaramaiah, and MLAs,” Shivakumar said.

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A long-time Man Friday of the Congress, Shivakumar was appointed to head the party in Karnataka in March 2020. He is a chief ministerial candidate.

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Shivakumar said he would visit Kanakapura to collect his election certificate and return to the city later in the evening.