Union Minister for Heavy Industries and Steel H.D. Kumaraswamy on Monday, 12 October criticised Congress leader and Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, for what he described as an attempt to drag the Chief Justice of India (CJI) into political matters. Speaking in Bengaluru, Kumaraswamy called on Gandhi to demonstrate greater political maturity and urged the Congress to respect constitutional institutions and the individuals who hold constitutional offices.

The CJI Appointment Controversy

Kumaraswamy questioned the Congress-led INDIA Bloc's decision to seek an appointment with the Chief Justice to discuss electoral issues, arguing that political leaders must understand which matters can appropriately be placed before constitutional authorities and how established protocols should be followed. He alleged that Rahul Gandhi lacked respect for constitutional institutions, reiterating that bringing political demands to the Supreme Court did not automatically entitle leaders to a personal meeting with the CJI.

Electoral Roll Revision Row

The minister also pushed back against Congress objections to the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. Congress leaders had alleged that voters' names — particularly from certain communities — were being deliberately removed from the rolls. Kumaraswamy countered that the SIR exercise was neither new nor politically motivated, noting that it had been conducted for several years. He drew a pointed parallel: the same Karnataka government raising concerns over voter-list deletions was simultaneously reviewing beneficiaries of its own guarantee schemes, raising questions, he said, about consistency.

Guarantee Scheme Beneficiary Reductions

Kumaraswamy demanded that the Karnataka government explain why the number of beneficiaries under the Gruha Lakshmi scheme, widow pensions, disability pensions, and old-age pensions had been reduced by 16 lakh to 20 lakh. He called on the state to disclose the criteria used to remove beneficiaries. Separately, he cited reports that ₹79 crore had been credited to the bank accounts of 79 deceased beneficiaries and was now being recovered — citing this as evidence that beneficiary verification was essential to prevent misuse of public funds. He questioned why a comparable verification exercise for electoral rolls was being treated as politically contentious.

Swipe at Chief Minister Shivakumar

Kumaraswamy also took aim at Karnataka Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar, alleging that instead of addressing questions surrounding a sting operation controversy, Shivakumar was preoccupied with a photoshoot at the Mysuru Palace. Referring to photographs of the Chief Minister seated in front of the royal throne, Kumaraswamy remarked sarcastically that the practice was being presented as a new cultural tradition. He invoked the Kannada saying 'Ati vinayam durlakshanam' — loosely, that excessive humility can be a sign of an undesirable trait — to underscore his criticism.

Leaders Present at the Event

JDS Core Committee chairman M. Krishnareddy, MLA Meluru Ravi, Greater Bengaluru JDS president H.M. Ramesh Gowda, and several other party leaders were present at the event. The remarks signal an escalating war of words between the BJP-JDS alliance and the ruling Congress in Karnataka, even as the INDIA Bloc's national outreach on electoral integrity remains a flashpoint ahead of upcoming state polls.