Kumaraswamy accuses Congress government in Karnataka of funding CJP protests in Delhi

Union Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy on Friday (October 16) accused the ruling Congress in Karnataka of using public funds to support the Cockroach Janata Party’s (CJP) protests in Delhi against the NDA government, alleging that the demonstrations were aimed at “destabilising the country”.

Continuing his attack on Home Minister Priyank Kharge over the alleged sting operation involving former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, the JD(S) leader was reacting to Mr. Priyank’s purported statement that the Congress and the CJP were alike and that no legal action would be taken against CJP activists, irrespective of the disturbances they caused.

Mr. Kumaraswamy alleged that Mr. Kharge was “encouraging unrest” and questioned whether different laws applied to different groups.

Alleging a “conspiracy” to remove Mr. Siddaramaiah as Chief Minister, Mr. Kumaraswamy claimed that Mr. Kharge was involved because his father, AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge, had failed to become Chief Minister.

Responding to Mr. Priyank’s criticism of his performance as a Union Minister, Mr. Kumaraswamy cited the financial performance of public sector undertakings under his departments. He said the BHEL factory, which had been making a profit of around ₹200 crore, was now generating profits exceeding ₹1,500 crore. He also claimed that the Steel Authority of India Ltd. had recorded a profit of ₹3,500 crore this year, with a target of at least ₹10,000 crore for the next year.

KPSC recruitment

Mr. Kumaraswamy also questioned alleged irregularities in recruitment conducted by the Karnataka Public Service Commission (KPSC) when Mr. Kharge was the Minister for Rural Development and Panchayat Raj.

He alleged that 10 of the 24 candidates selected for engineering posts had secured their positions through malpractice. Although a KPSC inquiry had recommended cancelling the appointments, the recommendation was rejected, and appointment orders were issued to all 24 candidates, he claimed.

He also alleged irregularities in the selection of veterinary candidates and questioned why the government had approached the High Court to obtain a stay on an investigation.

Mr. Kumaraswamy was interacting with candidates affected by the alleged KPSC recruitment scam at Bunts Sangha in Vijayanagar, Bengaluru. He called for a comprehensive overhaul of the commission.