Karnataka Government Rejects Kumaraswamy's Claims Regarding Vehicle Protocol
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Bengaluru, Jan 6 (NationPress) The Karnataka government on Monday rejected Union Minister for Heavy Industries and Steel H. D. Kumaraswamy's concerns regarding protocol infringement.
Kumaraswamy voiced his dissatisfaction after being denied an official vehicle and instead being asked to utilize the car of former MP Sumalatha Ambareesh.
N. Chaluvarayaswamy, the State Minister for Agriculture, stated on Monday that the Congress-led government finds Kumaraswamy's allegations hard to believe. “Kumaraswamy declined to use the vehicle of former Mandya MP Sumalatha Ambareesh. What can we do? We are perplexed as to why Kumaraswamy refuses to utilize the vehicle previously belonging to the senior BJP leader,” the minister remarked.
“We have never denied Kumaraswamy a vehicle. He is the one who turned down the car provided by the government,” Chaluvarayaswamy asserted.
The state minister elaborated, “It required us a year to procure a new vehicle. I drove the old car that belonged to the former minister until I received the new one. During my tenure as an MP, I used the vehicle assigned to the late former MP Ambareesh. Eventually, I was issued a new car. It is standard practice to initially assign the old vehicle to the new MP, with the cabinet later approving new ones.”
In a media briefing in Mandya on Saturday, Union Minister Kumaraswamy stated, "The state government has yet to provide a vehicle. Consequently, I am using a vehicle designated for the Central government, which I obtained from the Heavy Industries Department."
When asked if he felt overlooked by the state government, Kumaraswamy responded that the Congress-led Karnataka government should resolve the matter.
Sumalatha Ambareesh, a prominent BJP leader, previously held the Mandya Lok Sabha seat, which is now represented by Union Minister Kumaraswamy. Sumalatha achieved a significant victory against Kumaraswamy’s son, Nikhil Kumaraswamy, in the 2019 elections.
Minister Chaluvarayaswamy was formerly a close aide of ex-CM Kumaraswamy. However, he left the JD(S) party and joined the Congress, questioning the influence of former PM H.D. Deve Gowda's family members.
