Karnataka Minister Cheluvarayaswamy challenges Kumaraswamy to public debate over ‘9 p.m.’ allegation
Bengaluru, Sep 3 (IANS/WISHAVWARTA) Karnataka Water Resources Minister N. Cheluvarayaswamy on Thursday hit back at Union Minister for Heavy Industries and Steel H.D. Kumaraswamy over his allegation that he had visited and knocked on doors at night, challenging the Janata Dal-Secular (JD-S) leader to a public debate at the Vidhana Soudha.
Kumaraswamy had alleged that Cheluvarayaswamy used to visit houses and had once been seen standing at a gate at around 9 p.m. while holding a phone, questioning whom he was allegedly pleading with and whose residence he had visited.
Responding to the remarks, the Minister Cheluvarayaswamy speaking to reporters said that Kumaraswamy would not be able to withstand it if he started making statements about him.
“If I start making statements about him (H.D. Kumaraswamy), he will not be able to take it. If he thinks he has the strength to take it, let him come to any room in Vidhana Soudha of his choice. We will call the media and discuss it. If he has the capacity, let him sit and discuss,” the Minister added.
Referring specifically to the allegation about visiting a residence at night, the Minister recalled an incident involving former Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda, father of H.D. Kumaraswamy.
“Yes, at that time I had knocked on the doors of former Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda. If that is wrong, I am ready to apologise,” he said.
Cheluvarayaswamy, however, challenged the media to establish the circumstances behind the incident and identify the Chief Minister (Kumaraswamy) who, according to him, had been “missing” for two days in 2006 or 2007.
He recalled that Deve Gowda had telephoned him at around 5 a.m. and told him that the Chief Minister (Referring to H.D. Kumaraswamy) had gone missing and that he should find him and ensure that he reached the Assembly session by 10 a.m.
“Deve Gowda told me that your Chief Minister has gone missing and you should find him wherever he has gone. He asked me to ensure that he came to the Assembly by 10 a.m,” Cheluvarayaswamy said.
Targeting Kumaraswamy, the Minister added, “They would certainly be aware of the incident, including where the then Chief Minister had gone and how Deve Gowda had asked him to bring him back to the Assembly, warning that otherwise it would result in a loss of respect.”
The exchange comes amid an intensifying political war of words between the two leaders, with Kumaraswamy also targeting the Congress government over Cauvery water release to Tamil Nadu and the ongoing Karmnataka Public Service Commission recruitment scam.
Targeting Minister Cheluvarayaswamy, Union Minister Kumaraswamy had alleged that a Minister travels to Delhi over water-related issues while the state government releases Cauvery river water to Tamil Nadu at night and stages a drama in the morning.
The Minister had also alleged that former Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa and he would be dragged into the KPSC scam, Kumaraswamy said.
He had further referred to Cheluvarayaswamy’s alleged visits to residences at night and questioned whose gate he had been standing at while holding a phone at 9 p.m.
Cheluvarayaswamy’s response also comes against the backdrop of his long political association with the Deve Gowda family. He was once considered a close aide of the family during his stint with the JD-S. He joined the Congress on March 25, 2018, along with other rebel JD-S MLAs during a visit by the then Congress President Rahul Gandhi to Mysuru.
Since joining the Congress, Cheluvarayaswamy has emerged as a prominent leader in the party and is considered close to both former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar, who have themselves been political rivals of the Deve Gowda family.
The latest exchange has added another layer to the continuing political confrontation between the Congress and the JD-S-BJP camp over the KPSC scam, Cauvery water release and the conduct of the state government.
