Tumakuru
Union Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy continued his criticism of Karnataka Home Minister Priyank Kharge, questioning why he was avoiding direct answers to specific questions and responding mainly through the social media platform X.
Kumaraswamy said Kharge should address the issues in front of the cameras instead of making statements on X. Taking a sarcastic dig at the Home Minister, he said Kharge appeared to have made a big issue out of something without answering the questions raised. Kumaraswamy also said he was not someone who would run away from a confrontation and challenged Kharge to engage in a direct discussion.
Kumaraswamy made serious allegations regarding the ongoing controversy surrounding alleged irregularities in the Karnataka Public Service Commission (KPSC) recruitment process. He questioned why an official accused of manipulating OMR sheets was allegedly brought from Delhi and kept at a resort in Devanahalli before being produced before CID officials. He also sought clarification about alleged appointments given to 24 people and asked whether any of them were relatives of those involved.
The Union Minister further claimed that allegations regarding the use of carbon paper to manipulate OMR sheets had been widely discussed and said such allegations had also been supported by the investigation and forensic laboratory findings. If the evidence established wrongdoing, he questioned why the Home Minister was attempting to defend the matter.
Kumaraswamy said he was raising the issue in the interest of unemployed youth and not out of personal animosity towards Kharge. He challenged the Home Minister to meet him anywhere for a discussion and said he would not back down. He added that he would speak in detail about the issue before the media in Delhi and would continue to raise concerns until the interests of unemployed youth were protected.
Asked whether he would return to state politics, Kumaraswamy said he would re-enter Karnataka politics for the 2028 Assembly elections. In an apparent reference to Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar, he remarked that people would ultimately decide whose political position remained.
