Bengaluru: Karnataka’s political arena is heating up as Union Minister H D Kumaraswamy of the Janata Dal (Secular) and Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar of the Congress exchanged barbs over corruption and allegedly ill-gotten wealth.
Over the weekend, the two leaders traded sharp accusations and personal barbs, raising the political temperature in the state.
At a Bharatiya Janata Party-JD(S) padayatra event in Bidadi, Kumaraswamy accused Shivakumar of unlawfully seizing 68 acres of land from Dalits. He alleged that Shivakumar had converted a legitimate housing society into a fictitious one to secure the land.
Kumaraswamy, who himself purchased land in Kethaganahalli, vehemently denied any fraud and challenged Shivakumar to provide evidence. “If anyone can prove I acquired the land illegally, I will retire from politics,” he asserted, adding that he also holds incriminating documents against Shivakumar.
Shivakumar, addressing a Congress Janandolana event in Channapatna, questioned Kumaraswamy’s wealth. He ridiculed the notion that Kumaraswamy’s substantial fortune was accumulated solely through farming, asking, “Did he really amass thousands of crores just by growing potatoes and onions?” Shivakumar accused Kumaraswamy of blackmail and employing “hit-and-run tactics.”
This feud is not new. The two leaders have a history of clashes over land and political influence.
