‘Congress, DK Shivakumar should apologise’: Union Minister Pralhad Joshi on Constitution row

NEW DELHI: Union Minister Pralhad Joshi on Tuesday demanded an apology from the Congress party and Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar over his reported statement on the Constitution.

“Congress Party and DK Shivakumar should apologize. They have made their hidden agenda public. Congress has always insulted BR Ambedkar and amended the Constitution many times… Congress should apologize to the country for DK Shivakumar’s statement,” said, Shivakumar.

Reacting to DK Shivakumar’s recent statement on the Constitution, Karnataka Home Minister G Parameshwara said, “Shivakumar has already clarified that his statement has been twisted.”

This came amid an escalating row over the Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister’s alleged remarks on the constitutional changes to accommodate “religion-based” reservations in Karnataka.

Earlier, DK Shivakumar also hit back at the BJP over the matter, accusing the party of misquoting him and spreading fake news.

Announcing his next steps, Shivakumar said, “I will take a breach of privilege on this. I will fight a case. They are misquoting me,” and further accused the BJP of a deliberate campaign to mislead.

Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha also witnessed adjournments as treasury benches sought to corner the Congress over purported remarks of Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar with the Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju and Union Health Minister JP Nadda leading the BJP’s attack.

Congress MP Manickam Tagore filed a Notice of Question of Privilege in Lok Sabha against Union Minister Kiren Rijiju on Tuesday, accusing him of misleading the House on March 24.

Tagore claimed that Rijiju made false statements about Karnataka Deputy CM DK Shivakumar, which he believes is a breach of privilege and contempt of the House.

The notice reads, “I hereby give notice of a question of privilege against Kiren Rijiju, Minister of Parliamentary Affairs, for blatantly misleading the House on 24 March 2025, in terms of the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in the Lok Sabha.”

Shivakumar’s remarks sparked a massive row and drew backlash from BJP leaders over the Karnataka state cabinet approval of an amendment to the Karnataka Transparency in Public Procurement (KTPP) Act, which aims to provide a four per cent reservation in tenders to minority contractors. (ANI)