DK Shivakumar plays perfect host, bids warm farewell to Gujarat MLAs

After an eventful nine-day stay at the Eagleton Resort, 44 Congress legislators from Gujarat left for their state in the wee hours of August 7. They had been brought to the City to stop BJP from poaching them ahead of Rajya Sabha elections, over there.

As many as 44 legislators were given a warm farewell by Energy minister DK Shivakumar and his brother and MP DK Suresh. Since Shivakumar is yet to recover from the IT raid, it was his brother Suresh who made all the arrangements for the Gujarat leaders' departure. Shivakumar who came to the resort late in the night, felicitated each legislator with a shawl. Women Congress legislators tied Rakhi to Shivakumar and Suresh for their gesture in times of the crisis. In fact, Shivakumar played a perfect host by accompanying the legislators till the Airport in Volvo bus and bade farewell to the legislators, reports Kannada Prabha. The legislators will reach Anandanijam resort at Ahemdabad after meeting the party high command in Delhi. They will later participate in the Rajya Sabha elections scheduled for August 8.

Moving back to #Gujarat from #Bengaluru only to be lodged in another #resort. #GujaratCongress #MLAs @ANN_Newsable pic.twitter.com/sQfqa4UYJk

— Asianet Newsable (@ANN_Newsable) August 7, 2017

Bengaluru: Gujarat Congress MLAs staying in Bengaluru's Eagleton Resort before departing for Gujarat. (Earlier visuals) pic.twitter.com/vVsVCur49G

— ANI (@ANI_news) August 6, 2017

Meanwhile, a letter from Ahmedabad police commissioner asking the City police commissioner to provide security created quite a flutter. Ramanagar SP provided exclusive security to the Gujarat legislators as long as they were in the resort.

In fact, from the day (July 29) they arrived at the Eagleton Resort, the legislators were witness to dramatic developments that unfolded in the state. First the Income Tax raid on the resort where their host and minister DK Shivakumar was staying with them. There were unconfirmed reports that some of the Gujarat leaders too were searched. Later, the raid shifted to Shivakumar's residences, properties, his relatives and acquaintances. With IT sleuths conducting a marathon 74-hour raid on the minister, the Gujarat legislators who were holed up at the resort were worried about their stay. However, MP Suresh, a few Congress and JD(S) legislators rushed to their help and were successful in convincing that their stay would not be affected here. Finally, after their nine-day stay, the legislators left for their state.

Meanwhile, the Congress legislators were whisked away from airport upon their arrival from Bengaluru amid tight security. "All our MLAs have returned and they have been taken to a resort in Anand," Congress party chief whip and senior leader Sailesh Parmar told reports in Anand, reports PTI.

The legislators are not going to their respective homes on this day of Raksha Bandhan and are staying loayl soldiers of the Congress party, Parmar said. He further said that Ahmed Patel and State Congress chief Bharatsinh Solanki will come to Anand to meet them, he added.Election to three Rajya Sabha seats will be held on August 8 in which Patel is pitched against BJP candiates including party chief Amit Shah, Union minister Smriti Irani and former Congress party chief whip Balwantsinh Rajput who recently joined BJP.

• DK Shivakumar
• Gujarat Cong MLAs
• eagleton resort
• karnataka