Bengaluru: Karnataka Legislative Council and BJP MLC N. Ravikumar on Saturday strongly refuted allegations that he made derogatory remarks against Chief Secretary Shalini Rajneesh, calling such claims baseless and malicious.
In a press statement, Ravikumar said: “I have not made any disrespectful or derogatory comments against the Chief Secretary. It is shocking to see some visuals and media reports – both in print and social media – falsely claiming that I insulted the top bureaucrat.”
Ravikumar clarified that he had been in Hyderabad for official work over the past three days and had not addressed the media or made any speech targeting the Chief Secretary during that period.
Explaining the context, the BJP leader said he had joined a protest on June 30 near the Gandhi statue at Vidhana Soudha, along with Leader of the Opposition Chalavadi Narayanaswamy and other Dalit leaders. The protest was held to oppose the Forest Department’s move to take possession of land being cultivated for decades by Dalit families in Kadugodi, Mahadevapura.
“We were trying to bring the matter to the government’s attention. Since neither the Chief Minister nor the Chief Secretary was available to meet us, I merely stated that the Chief Secretary may be busy. I never used any offensive language, nor did I speak to the media on the matter,” Ravikumar stated.
He dismissed the claims of derogatory speech as “completely fabricated, misleading, and politically motivated.”
Ravikumar concluded: “Apart from mentioning that the Chief Secretary may be occupied with administrative duties, I made no objectionable statements. I categorically reject the allegation.”
