K’taka Ministers hit back at Kumaraswamy over allegations on CM Shivakumar’s assets; question wealth of Union Minister’s brother
Bengaluru: Congress Ministers H.C. Balakrishna and Priyank Kharge on Wednesday hit back at Union Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy over his allegations regarding Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar’s assets, questioning the rise in the property holdings of Kumaraswamy’s brother during his tenure as Chief Minister.
Kumaraswamy had on Tuesday alleged irregularities linked to the Bengaluru-Mysuru Infrastructure Corridor (NICE) project and questioned the increase in Shivakumar’s wealth.
Chief Minister Shivakumar has rejected the allegations and said his assets were acquired legally and disclosed to the Income Tax Department.
Reacting to Kumaraswamy’s allegations, Municipal Administration Minister H.C. Balakrishna on Wednesday questioned how the property of Kumaraswamy’s brother, Balakrishna Gowda, had increased to around Rs 1,000 crore.
“How did his property become Rs 1,000 crore all of a sudden? Let him explain. Did he earn Rs 1,000 crore by growing potatoes?” Minister Balakrishna asked.
He questioned whether Kumaraswamy would demand an investigation into the alleged increase in his brother’s property during his tenure as Chief Minister.
“This happened when Kumaraswamy was the Chief Minister. During his tenure, his brother’s property saw a sudden increase of Rs 1,000 crore. Does it mean that the property is benami of Kumaraswamy?” Balakrishna asked.
He said the Congress government had no reason to be concerned about the allegations and that investigative agencies such as the Enforcement Directorate and Income Tax Department could examine the matter.
“We are not blackmailers. We have work to do. There is no necessity for us to worry. There is ED and IT, and they will take care. We submit our documents during elections through affidavits and they can look into them,” he said.
Balakrishna also questioned whether Kumaraswamy had raised anything new, alleging that the Union Minister was once again referring to old documents instead of discharging his responsibilities as a Union Minister.
Home, IT and BT Minister Priyank Kharge also criticised Kumaraswamy, saying there was no remedy for “jealousy and heartburn” and accusing him of repeatedly raising personal issues and questions about properties.
“Kumaraswamy is a Union Minister and a former Chief Minister. He had two decades of time. He had time when he was Chief Minister. Why did he not do this then?” Kharge asked.
Kharge further challenged BJP and JD(S) leaders to hold a comprehensive discussion on the properties owned by the politicians and their relatives.
“Let us call a special session and discuss how much property everyone has amassed, how much is yours and your relatives’ property, how it came, how CM Shivakumar’s property came and what our property is. Let people know everything,” he said.
Kharge also questioned Kumaraswamy over issues concerning Karnataka’s development projects and farmers’ compensation, saying that if he believed anything was illegal, he should submit the evidence to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah.
He stated that the BJP-JD(S) Opposition had increasingly focussed on personal allegations and property matters instead of issues concerning the state.
The exchange comes amid an escalating political confrontation between Kumaraswamy and Shivakumar over the NICE project.
