Bengaluru: “How can someone who stole electricity preach to society?” The Congress came out this stinging response to allegations of corruption and high-handedness made by Janata Dal (Secular) leader H.D. Kumaraswamy against its government in Karnataka.
‘Current kalla’, that translates to ‘power thief’, has, in fact, become the Congress’ go-to response for every statement made by Kumaraswamy ever since he was accused of drawing power illegally from an electric pole to light up his home in Bengaluru’s J.P Nagar on Diwali.
“Frustration is eating away at Kumaraswamy, frustration of a crushing defeat, frustration of being without power, frustration of his party running out, frustration of helpless workers. He is acting like he has lost his mental stability due to all this frustration. It is laughable that someone who stole electricity will preach good to society,” the Congress tweeted Thursday in Kannada.
Kumaraswamy had made graft allegations against the Siddaramaiah-led Congress government. The JD(S), along with the BJP — the two main opposition parties in Karnataka who joined hands for the 2024 Lok Sabha election — have previously made allegations of corruption in official transfers and seeking of ‘commission’ for release of payment to contractors against the Siddaramaiah government.
Kumaraswamy alleged Thursday, among other things, that Siddaramaiah’s son Yathindra was running all constituency-related matters in Varuna even though he was not a legislator anymore. Varuna is now held by the Karnataka CM.
This came after a video surfaced showing Yathindra purportedly speaking to his father on the phone about the constituency.
Responding to the charge, Siddaramaiah said that Kumaraswamy tend to think that everyone was as corrupt as him.
“Unfortunately, former chief minister H.D. Kumaraswamy, who was involved in rampant corruption during his tenure, thinks all are like him. His pessimistic attitude does not allow him to think beyond corruption. His insecurity in politics often forces him to fabricate fake stories to paint a negative picture of his political opponents,” he told reporters.
The CM said that Yathindra was discussing the list of beneficiary schools for development over the phone call and that Kumaraswamy twisted the conversation to fuel allegations of corruption.
“Kumaraswamy’s false allegations are nothing but his cruel attempt to mentally disturb my son. H.D. Kumaraswamy seems to have forgotten that his wife and son are also in politics. I refrain from stooping to Kumaraswamy’s level and speaking about his family in the same manner. I urge former prime minister H.D. Deve Gowda to advise his son to avoid becoming an object of ridicule in front of Kannadigas,” Siddaramaiah said.
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‘Power thief’
The Congress has been targeting the JD(S) leader after Bangalore Electricity Supply Company, or BESCOM, Tuesday registered a case against Kumaraswamy over alleged power theft.
The vigilance wing of BESCOM has filed a case under Section 135 of the Electricity Act, pertaining to theft of electricity.
On Wednesday, posters dubbing Kumaraswamy as “power thief” surfaced on the walls near his house but were removed by the police. However, videos of the posters were all over on Kannada TV news channels.
“(Lord) Krishna stole butter, Kumararanna (Kumaraswamy) stole electricity,” read one such poster with a picture of the former CM dressed as the Hindu deity.
Kumaraswamy has publicly acknowledged his mistake over drawing power from a nearby electricity pole and offered to pay the fine, but the Congress has been relentless in its attacks on the JD (S) leader.
“I am sorry for this indiscretion. Let BESCOM officials come and inspect and issue a notice. I will pay the fine,” Kumaraswamy posted on social media.
On Friday, Kumaraswamy’s team shared on WhatsApp that the former CM had issued a cheque of Rs 68,526 to clear the fine imposed on him.
In Bengaluru Thursday, he said in a lighter vein: “After Deepavali, news developments have come looking for you.”
“That electricity was drawn illegally for decorating my home during Deepavali came to you (media) at electrifying speed. They (Congress) have even said that Kumaraswamy has stooped to stealing electricity. I have expressed regret for it even though it was someone else’s mistake. They (Congress) made posters and tried to stick it on our party offices, but the police removed them. This has become a habit for the Congress,” he told reporters.
The two-time former chief minister equated the posters with the Congress ‘PayCM’ ones, with which it targeted the Basavaraj Bommai-led BJP government over alleged corruption ahead of this year’s Karnataka election.
(Edited by Nida Fatima Siddiqui)
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