Not happy, pray he is out soon: BSY on DK Shivakumar's arrest

Bengaluru, Sep 04: Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa on Tuesday said he is "not happy" with the arrest of political rival DK Shivakumar. The senior Congress leader DK Shivakumar who was arrested on Tuesday evening by the Enforcement Directorate after four days long questioning session in a money laundering case by ED.

Shivakumar was placed under arrest as per provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). Soon after his arrest, Shivakumar in a tweet termed the cases against him as politically motivated. He wrote, "I appeal to my party cadre, supporters and well-wishers to not be disheartened as I have done nothing illegal. I have full faith in God and in our country's judiciary and am very confident that I will emerge victorious both legally and politically against this vendetta politics."

He also congratulated the BJP for "finally being successful in their mission" of arresting him. "The I-T and ED cases against me are politically motivated and I am a victim of BJP's politics of vengeance and vendetta," DK Shivakumar said in his tweets.

On Wednesday, CM BSY said, "Let me tell you one thing, the arrest of DK Shivakumar did not bring me any happiness. I will pray to God that he will be out soon."

"I haven't hated anyone in my life and haven't mean to harm anyone. Justice will have to take its own course," added the senior BJP leader, who took oath in July after the coalition government of HD Kumaraswamy and the Congress was dislodged by a series of defections by their MLAs.

Mr Yediyurappa added that he would be the "happiest" to receive the news of Mr Shivakumar's getting out.

The BJP has taken a hard line on the arrest of Mr Chidambaram. "Howsoever mighty you may be, the law is above you," Bengaluru's BJP MP Tejasvi Surya had tweeted.

The Congress has accused the BJP-led centre of practicing "vendetta politics" by using the agencies to arrest its leaders.

"Shivakumar's arrest fuelled by BJP's quest for revenge. Sinking economy and rupee, loss of jobs, a bid to cover up these problems," said senior Congress leader Randeep Surjewala.

"Mr Chidambaram has been accused of facilitating a huge infusion of foreign funds into a television company, INX Media, in 2007 on the behest of his son Karti Chidambaram, who allegedly received kickbacks for this. At the time, he was the country's finance minister in the UPA government. Mr Chidambaram has denied the allegations, saying it was politically motivated," Karnataka Congress leader and former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah tweeted.