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Karnataka’s Calling Card

He came, met and conquered. Last week, all four Congress Chief Ministers were in the capital for the CWC but only one reached out to the capital’s media. Karnataka Chief Minister D.K. Shiva kumar turned out to be a generous and attentive host as he engaged and bantered with over a hundred beat reporters at Delhi’s Meridien hotel. He made sure he connected with everyone, hopping from one table to another, obliging selfie seekers; though what really clicked was that he already knew most beat reporters either by face or by reputation. “I know you well,” he said to those attempting to introduce themselves to him. Also present were Jairam Ramesh, Pawan Khera, B.V. Srinivas and Rajiv Gowda.

A politician among the politicians, DK told the media that he was open to criticism and scrutiny. “I shall never hold your writings against you. You have a right to criticise,” he said, smiling at a stoic Jairam Ramesh. But there are limits. At a conclave recently when he was asked if he was the Congress party’s Amit Shah, he flatly rebutted the comparison. However, I recall at an earlier meeting two years ago, when we had asked DK as to whether he was the party’s next best Ahmed Patel. That got a delighted smile out of him, though he had shaken his head, saying his Hindi was not good enough (for him to play a headquarter role). But, with a smile he had also pointed out that thanks to the BJP, his Hindi had improved vastly— due to his stint at Tihar Jail. This is one person who knows how to turn a crisis into an opportunity and certainly a politician to watch out for.