Mysuru, July 20 -- Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah today firmly denied allegations by the BJP that he had insulted Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar at yesterday's Sadhana Samavesha, calling the charge "baseless" and politically motivated.
Responding to the BJP's criticism, Siddaramaiah clarified that Shivakumar was not present on the stage during the Samavesha in question. "I welcomed those who were on the stage. DK Shivakumar was not there, so there was no question of not naming him intentionally," he told reporters.
"There was no intent to insult anyone. The BJP is deliberately trying to create a controversy out of nothing," the Chief Minister said.
Siddaramaiah gave this clarification in the presence of Shivakumar himself and...