I have not defended cooker blast case, clarifies Karnataka Congress President

Bengaluru, Dec 16: Setting the records straight, Karnataka Congress President D.K. Shivakumar on Friday said that in no way did he defend the November 19 Mangaluru cooker blast case.

Speaking to reporters Shivakumar maintained that, "I only said BJP is diverting people's

attention by using such incidents. It has used this issue to hush up the voter ID scam and corruption. I did not say that investigation should not be carried out in the explosion case."

"Our leaders have become victims of terrorism. We stand for the integration, peace and unity of this country. We do not defend terrorism," Shivakumar explained.

Commenting on the Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai's remark that Congress has a pro- terrorism stand, he said, the statement has been issued with an intention to be in the market. "I have only spoken about the betrayal to the state with their corruption and ways of hushing it up," he added.

He maintained that the statements issued on Mangaluru blast were manipulated to hide the differences between CM Bommai and former CM Yediyurappa. Yediyurappa's predicament is very much visible. He is not even considered as a leader in BJP, he said.

Shivakumar had stirred a controversy by stating that the Mangaluru blast incident was carried out by ruling BJP to divert the attention of people from the voter ID scam.

On Thursday, he had asked that without investigation, how was the suspect Mohammad Shariq arrested in connection with blast could be declared a terrorist? Was it an incident like 26/11 Mumbai terror attack? Was it an incident like Pulwama terror attack?

How was the whole incident projected by the ruling BJP? When the voter ID scam came to light in Karnataka, immediately after the Mangaluru cooker blast incident took place. Why? From where did the accused come? Shivakumar questioned.

"You are trying to highlight emotional issues in life and trying to make a livelihood out of it. In your (BJP) tenure not a single recognizable work has been carried out. Simply you indulged in deviation," he said.

The DG visits hurriedly and declares it a terror act. What are you trying to do? This is an attempt of deviation. Do you think people are dumb? Shivakumar had stated.

The cooker blast incident took place on November 19 in communally-sensitive Mangaluru. The Karnataka police department declared it an act of terror. The probe showed that Mohammad Shariq, a suspected terrorist from the state, was planning to carry out an explosion at the CM's function. When it failed, he was carrying the explosive to get it blasted at a children fest.

An unknown terrorist outfit claimed responsibility for the act and warned that it will not fail next time.