Bengaluru, May 15 -- Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar on Wednesday hit back at Union Minister HD Kumaraswamy over his criticism of the Bidadi township project, saying "criticising us is essential for Kumaraswamy's political survival."

Speaking to reporters at his Sadashivanagar residence, Shivakumar said, "If Kumaraswamy does not criticise us, he cannot survive politically. We do good work, and he opposes it. We are only continuing the project that he himself started. I will fix a date and time to go speak with the farmers."

On possible opposition from farmers, he said, "Farmers might hit me a couple of times. So what? They might tear my clothes, throw stones, or raise slogans against me. Should I be afraid of all that? Wha...