Bengaluru, Nov 4 — Karnataka Minister for Home, IT and BT, Priyank Kharge, on Wednesday launched a scathing personal attack on Union Minister for Heavy Industries and Steel H.D. Kumaraswamy over his remarks questioning the handling of the alleged sting operation case involving former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah.
Reacting to Kumaraswamy's question about the whereabouts of an email allegedly sent by the victim as a complaint in connection with the sting operation case, Kharge questioned the Union Minister's understanding of the investigation process and said he was repeatedly making personal attacks instead of discussing the case.
“I watched his press conference. He says Priyank Kharge is unfit to be Home Minister and is inefficient. He lies to his own family and the people of the state, cries and frequently changes constituencies. If a person like him can become Chief Minister, can't I become Home Minister?” Kharge asked.
Questioning how the police department could be expected to act on a private email, Kharge said the department and the Child Rights Commission would not automatically know about an email unless the matter was formally brought to their notice.
“If someone sends a private email, how will the police or the Child Rights Commission come to know about it? Unless the Child Rights Commission brings the matter to the notice of the police department, how will the department know? Does he not have this basic common sense? He was a Chief Minister and is now a Union Minister. Is he a village idiot?” Kharge said.
He further asked why Kumaraswamy had not initiated action during his tenure as Chief Minister if he had prior knowledge of the alleged complaint.
Kharge pointed out that the alleged email dated back to 2015 and questioned Kumaraswamy's silence on the matter during his approximately one-and-a-half-year tenure as Chief Minister.
“If the email was sent in 2015, Kumaraswamy was Chief Minister for one-and-a-half years during the period between 2015 and 2026. Was he monitoring the grazing of donkeys all that time instead of taking action? Was he silent despite knowing about the case? Was he abetting the crime?” he asked.
Kharge said investigating a case required following due procedure and could not be treated like a child's game. He added that he did not need a certificate from Kumaraswamy on his suitability or competence as Home Minister.
“There is nothing to learn from you. I do not want your certificate on whether I am fit or unfit to be Home Minister. Your political party has never managed to win 100 MLAs in its history, and it will not happen in the future either,” he said while addressing Kumaraswamy.
Urging Kumaraswamy to stop making personal remarks and instead focus on the investigation, Kharge said the Union Minister should ask his colleagues to cooperate with the investigating agency and record their statements.
“Are we running a Bigg Boss show in the state to livestream the investigation? Who is he to decide who should be investigated and who should not? Let him ask his colleagues to come forward and record their statements,” Kharge said.
Clarifying the government's position on the investigation, Kharge said the police had recorded the statements and collected the necessary material as part of the probe. He said the investigating agency would file a chargesheet once the investigation was completed.
“We have recorded whatever is necessary. Once the investigation is completed, we will file the chargesheet, which will then become a public document. At this stage, we cannot make statements about the details of the investigation, as they are confidential and part of the ongoing probe,” he said.