'He is a boy of our household': Karnataka Congress Chief DK Shivakumar on slapping party worker

Karnataka Congress' chief DK Shivakumar's act of slapping his party worker who tried to get a bit too friendly by putting a hand on his shoulder has left many in splits. As the video wen vial, Shivakumar on Sunday turned down the assaulting incident saying the man he hit was a "boy of our household".

On Saturday, an unidentified party worker suddenly popped up and tried to place his hand on the leader's shoulder. DKS got wild and slapped him. "I have given you freedom but that doesn't mean you do this," he was heard saying. The video of the incident was shared widely on social media which took place in Karnataka's Mandya district.

According to a report, When asked about Friday's incident again today, the Karnataka Pradesh Congress President said, "Look he's our boy. Besides, a distant relative. I did hit him a little hard saying 'take your hand off me'. It's ok, he is a boy of our household. If he scolds me, I will listen. If I scold him, he will listen. It's between him and me."

When asked about it later, the Congress leader responded saying, "What to say if one puts his arms around? What will people say? Can we allow such a thing because he is a karyakarta (worker)? What will others looking at it say?"

Reacting to the video, BJP National General Secretary CT Ravi asked Congress leader Rahul Gandhi whether he had given a "licence for violence" to Mr Shivakumar, calling him a follower of Kotwal Ramachandra, a Bengaluru gangster of the 1970s and 1980s.

He further went on to call the Karnataka Pradesh Congress President "Rowdy DKShi", saying he should learn to conduct himself in public.

Posting a video of an earlier incident where Shivakumar can be seen hitting a youth who was clicking selfies, as he was about to address the media, the BJP in a tweet asked him to quit public life if “underworld-like behaviour” is unavoidable.