Bengaluru: The arrest of Congress leader D K Shivakumar by ED officials was followed by protests not only in Karnataka but also in the neighbouring state of Kerala.
Since Shivakumar is reportedly well-liked in the state, several Keralites initiated a Twitter campaign under the hashtag #SupportDK to express their solidarity with the former minister.
DKShi’s popularity on the national stage is due to his pivotal role in the Gujarat Rajya Sabha elections and in stitching up a Congress-JD(S) alliance after the 2018 Karnataka election results were announced.
Kerala continues to maintain a cordial relation with Karnataka as a majority of Bengaluru’s population is Malayali. Karnataka Congress leaders such as K C Venugopal and P C Vishnunath are also originally from Kerala.
Speaking to TOI, Kerala Congress Opposition leader Ramesh Chennithala said, “The entire Congress party and cadres in Kerala are backing Shivakumar. I personally have a good relationship with him. He is always approachable for issues related to Keralites, particularly in Bengaluru. His is a popular face in Kerala because of his uncompromising stand on fascism.”
While senior Congress leader Roji Kattassery termed DKShi’s arrest a “political witch-hunt”, Angamaly MLA Roji M John insisted that DKShi “is a fighter and he will come out of this”.
