Bengaluru, February 22 Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Union Minister H D Kumaraswamy engaged in a heated exchange of accusations on Sunday, focusing on caste politics, family dominance, and social justice.
The exchange escalated after Siddaramaiah dismissed Kumaraswamy's allegation that he had invoked caste considerations to maintain power.
"I have taken his allegation that I have dragged caste into the picture for the sake of a chair lightly," Siddaramaiah said, while launching a counterattack on the JD(S) leadership.
Addressing the JD(S) patriarch H D Deve Gowda and his family, the Chief Minister said, "Kumaraswamy and his revered father Deve Gowda are certainly not casteists; they are against their own caste. More importantly, they are family-centric. For them, caste is merely a vote bank."
He alleged that "past, present, and future top JD(S) leaders will be members of the Gowda family," and asserted that it was the Congress that had politically groomed Vokkaliga leaders.
"From Kengal Hanumanthaiah to S M Krishna, hundreds of Vokkaliga leaders have been nurtured. If Kengal Hanumanthaiah, Kadidal Manjappa, and S M Krishna became chief ministers, it was because of the Congress," he said.
He added, "If one day anyone other than a member of Deve Gowda's family becomes chief minister, it will be through the Congress."
He reiterated the party's commitment to inclusivity, stating, "I can confidently say that if someone from the Dalit community becomes chief minister in the future, it will be possible only through the Congress," and urged critics "to introspect."
Responding in a strongly worded post on X, Kumaraswamy said the charge against Siddaramaiah was not made in jest. "When I said that Siddaramaiah has dragged caste into the picture for the sake of a chair, I did not say it jokingly; I said it seriously."
Addressing the Chief Minister directly, he wrote, "Siddaramaiah, I do not speak in a roundabout manner. I will come straight to the point."
Taking strong exception to remarks against his father, Kumaraswamy said, "You are not a champion of social justice but its destroyer. It is shocking that you are pointing fingers at Deve Gowda, who gave you political strength and life. The power you hold today and the attire of a social justice crusader you wear are all gifts of Deve Gowda. You too are a product and beneficiary of his social justice."
He further contended, "Had he thought only about his own caste and family back then, you would not have become Finance Minister, nor would you have secured even the chairmanship of a corporation."
Rejecting the CM's claim that the Congress alone nurtured Vokkaligas, Kumaraswamy said, "You say it is the Congress that nurtured Vokkaligas — sheer nonsense. If the Congress alone makes Vokkaligas Chief Ministers, should you not immediately vacate the chair? This is the right time to demonstrate your love for Vokkaligas!"
In a pointed remark, he added, "Your social justice has no conscience. If it had, Mallikarjun Kharge would have become Chief Minister before you."
Later speaking to reporters in Raichur, Kumaraswamy said the Chief Minister who seeks refuge in his Kuruba (shepherd) caste to save his chair should not forget that Deve Gowda made him (Siddaramaiah) a Deputy Chief Minister and Finance Minister in his government.
"Was it not this very shepherd whom the Janata Dal made Deputy Chief Minister twice and Finance Minister? If Deve Gowda had not recognised him, who would have noticed him? Today he seems to have lost mental balance to some extent," the Union Minister said.