Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar has hit out strongly at what he calls the “fake news factory” after social media and a section of the media claimed that the silver Ganesha idol he gifted Prime Minister Narendra Modi last week was not purchased by him.

The controversy erupted soon after the inauguration of the Bengaluru Metro’s Yellow Line between RV Road and Bommasandra on August 10, when Shivakumar presented PM Modi with a silver idol of Lord Ganesha. Soon, reports began circulating — both on social media platforms and in certain news outlets — alleging that the idol was not bought by Shivakumar but by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA M. Krishnappa.

Calling these allegations “completely false and politically motivated,” Shivakumar took to his official social media account to set the record straight. “I haven’t come to the sorry state of giving someone else’s gift to another person!” he wrote. “The silver Ganesha idol presented with congratulations to Prime Minister Modi at the inauguration ceremony of the Metro Yellow Line was my own. I purchased it with my own money. No departmental or public funds were used for it.”

He elaborated that the idol was brought from his home, handed over to his office staff for security clearance, checked by the Special Protection Group (SPG), and then officially presented to the Prime Minister during the function. Shivakumar emphasised that there was no role of any BJP MLA in purchasing the idol and described the claim involving M. Krishnappa as “baseless and a deliberate attempt to mislead the public.”

In a second post, Shivakumar accused an unnamed news agency of spreading misinformation without verifying facts. “In this era where misinformation spreads faster than truth, I urge everyone to verify before believing or sharing,” he said. He stressed that such fake narratives not only damage reputations but also create unnecessary political tensions.