Panaji, Dec. 28 -- Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar on Sunday responded to Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan's remarks on the recent demolition drive in Karnataka, saying the action was taken as a "precautionary measure" in the interest of public health and safety.

Speaking to the media in Goa, Shivakumar said, "All of them were trying to come and put their sheds in the solid waste management site we were using. It was not healthy, it was very dangerous, so we took a precautionary measure."

The Deputy CM's response came after Vijayan, in a post on Facebook, strongly criticised the demolition of Fakir Colony and Waseem Layout in Bengaluru. Vijayan termed the action "extremely shocking and painful," alleging that Muslims...