Bengaluru/ New Delhi, 18 Jan

Karnataka BJP President BY Vijayendra flayed Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar after the latter cancelled his official visit to Davos for the World Economic Forum (WEF) due to official engagements in Bengaluru and New Delhi.

“We firmly believe that the “Nation comes first, and the party next”. For the Congress, however, it is always the party first, with the Nation relegated to the very end,” Vijayendra wrote on X on Sunday. “The WEF at Davos was a golden opportunity to showcase our State as a unique and attractive destination for global investors, an opportunity that could have driven employment generation and promoted industrial growth beyond Bengaluru.”

“Yet, the conduct of Shivakumar clearly exposes the apathy of the Congress leadership towards governance and their distorted priorities,” Vijayendra added.  “At a time when the State desperately needs development and economic revival, the DyCM chose to skip this crucial global platform.”

Vijayendra claimed that the engagements Shivakumar’s office cited on Saturday when it announced he would not be going to Davos were related to the ongoing alleged power tussle with Chief Minister Siddaramaiah for the State’s top post.

The BJP Chief also noted that neither Shivakumar nor Siddaramaiah received German Chancellor Friedrich Merz when he visited the City recently. Both of them instead met with part leader Rahul Gandhi.

The WEF is set to convene its 56^th Annual Meeting in Davos from 19 to 23 January.

Meanwhile, at the Karnataka Bhavan in New Delhi, Shivakumar declined to comment on the alleged power tussle. He said he won’t talk about internal party matters, even if there was “good news”

"When there is good news, we don't talk about it. It's Sunday, a good day…. We do not disclose or discuss anything related to such matters, including leadership change," Shivakumar said.

He also quipped that the media has become like the party’s High Command.

“You in the media have now become the High Command. You discuss everything, follow everything and judge everything," Shivakumar told reporters.

Shivakumar had recently been appointed the Congress’ observer for the Assam polls, and was reportedly in Delhi to meet with party leaders to discuss the strategy.