It’s the second such instance where Shivakumar has slapped a man, who wanted to take a selfie with him.
Twitter/DKS
Karnataka Energy Minister DK Shivakumar is no fan of selfies, it would seem.
Three months after he slapped a man on his hand for attempting to take a selfie with him, the influential Congress leader has done it again.
The latest incident occurred in Bellary on Sunday during a Congress election campaign.
A video of the incident, which is doing the rounds shows an angry Shivakumar slapping the hand of another man who is just about to take a selfie. The man’s phone drops to the ground, as the minister proceeds to greet others.
#WATCH Karnataka Minister DK Shivkumar slaps away phone of a man who was trying taking a selfie with him in Bellary (4.2.18) pic.twitter.com/iLo6OSyT2Z
— ANI (@ANI) February 5, 2018
The previous incident took place in November 2017 in Belgaum when Shivakumar was addressing the media at a child right’s event.
The short video clip shows a man holding a phone above his head and trying to take a selfie with Shivakumar, who is in front of him, addressing a few reporters. Shivakumar is seen turning, and smacking the man's arm, following which the phone falls out of his hand.
#WATCH Karnataka Min DK Shivkumar hits a man who was taking a selfie during a child rights event at a college in Belgaum (Mobile Video) pic.twitter.com/Sc2jMyK08a
— ANI (@ANI) November 20, 2017
Speaking about his fit of rage, the minister on that occasion had said that the selfie was uncalled for and his reaction was “normal”.
"Have basic common sense. When I'm doing my responsibility and addressing the press how can someone come out for a selfie? It was a normal incident," he had then told news agency ANI.
55-year-old Shivakumar, arguably the most powerful Vokkaliga leader now in the Congress, heads the 70-member campaign committee for the ruling party ahead of the 2018 Assembly Elections.
He was one of the youngest ministers for the party and had held the Urban Development and Home portfolios in previous Congress governments. But Shivakumar grabbed eyeballs when he declared a wealth of Rs 251 crore in his election affidavit for the 2013 Assembly polls. This incidentally made him the second richest minister in the country at that time, according to a TOI report.
Born into a farmer family, Shivakumar has been a member of the Congress since the beginning of his political career, after playing a leading role in the Youth Congress since his RC College days. He held the position of General Secretary of Karnataka State Youth Congress between 1983-85. His first electoral success came when he was elected to the Zilla Panchayat in 1987.
Last year, the Income Tax department raided properties belonging to Shivakumar and his family.