Bengaluru, Jul 10: The high-voltage drama of Karnataka politics unfolded in Mumbai on Wednesday with Congress troubleshooter DK Shivakumar being prevented from meeting rebel MLAs in a five-star hotel.
Shivakumar, who is the water resources minister in the HD Kumaraswamy government, was also detained by the Mumbai police.
"What the BJP has done is completely undemocratic," he said after his release from the guest house of the University of Mumbai's Kalina campus where he was lodged for a few hours.
Shivakumar landed at the Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport at around 8 am and headed straight to the Renaissance Mumbai Convention Centre Hotel at Powai around 9 am.
A tight security was in place at the hotel as the 10 MLAs who were lodged there had complained of threats from Gowda and Shivakumar.
The posse of policemen led by deputy commissioner of police Sangramsinh Niishandar told him that he could not be allowed as the hotel fears security issues.
The hotel administration also cancelled the hotel reservation of Shivakumar.
"I have a car, I have a reservation but I was not allowed in," he said, adding that he was not a "terrorist" and have come to meet the MLAs.
"They are my friends, we have worked together...I want to meet my brothers....there were some issues, some misunderstanding, we are part of the same family...we want to clear it out,' he said.
Shivakumar, who was accompanied by a minister and two other MLAs, said that the MLAs have called him and wanted to meet him but they are being prevented.
"In have a heart, I want to exchange heart.....I have no weapons...I am an elected MLA...I am in public life for several years," he said.
He also said that an IPS officers can accompany him when he goes in - but all in vain.
His pleas went on deaf ears and the gates were closed.
However, a patient but defiant staged a sort of a sit-in outside the hotel and preferred to wait and watch - forcing the Mumbai police to clamp prohibitory orders.
Senior Congress leaders including Naseem Khan, Milind Deora and Sanjay Nirupam rushed by his side.
He was then joined in by Mumbai Congress leaders and there were sloganeering and counter-sloganeering among Congress and BJP workers.
Around 2.30 pm, Shivakumar was detained and instead of taking him to the Powai police station drove him in a police van to the University of Mumbai's Kalina campus and lodged him in its guesthouse.
Around 5.30 pm, he was released. "The Mumbai police is deporting me back...I don't want to create a law and order situation," he said.
Shivakumar said that the government was safe and the MLAs will come back. "What the BJP did is completely undemocratic," he said.
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