BENGALURU, 10 FEB

Congress MP DK Suresh on Saturday dared former BJP minister KS Eshwarappa to shoot him down instead of waiting for others to do the job. “Why do you (Eshwarappa) want to victimise the poor people by provoking them? Give me time, I will come all by myself and stand before you. Why do you need other people? You can fulfil your dreams by shooting me and get appreciation,” Suresh said.

BJP leader Eshwarappa had said on Thursday in Davangere that the Centre should formulate a law to shoot down traitors like Suresh and Congress MLA Vinay Kulkarni who want South India to be a separate nation. In response, Suresh pointed out the historical context and accused BJP of being behind the attempts to silence him. He alleged threats against him for advocating for Kannada and the people of Karnataka.

Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar said they do not want an apology from Eshwarappa. “DK Suresh isn’t the type who is scared of threats. All dares will be handled ‘appropriately’. We know how to deal with threats and we have settled many such threats in the past,” Shivakumar said here.

Shivakumar said every action has a consequence. "Eshwarappa once spoke about my father in the Assembly and everyone knows what happened next. Where is Eshwarappa today?” he said.

“Chief Minister Siddaramaiah confirmed that a police case had been filed, indicating that legal measures would be pursued against Eshwarappa. The Karnataka police also issued a notice to Eshwarappa regarding his controversial statement about shooting Suresh,” Shivakumar said.

Former chief minister BS Yediyurappa said any legal action against Eshwarappa should proceed through proper channels, rather than misinterpreting his statements.