Bengaluru, 30 August

The war of words between Home Minister Priyank Kharge and Union Minister HD Kumaraswamy over the Karnataka Public Service Commission (KPSC) issue heated up on Sunday. 

Priyank doubled down on his claim that KPSC chairman Shivashankarappa S Sahukar was appointed by JD(S) leaders Kumaraswamy and former prime minister HD Deve Gowda. 

“Did Kumaraswamy think that the world didn't know that he went to Parappana Agrahara Jail to meet a former KPSC chairman who was illegally imprisoned?” Priaynk stated on X. 

Kumaraswamy had earlier demanded Priyank’s resignation for continuing the selection process to the Rural Development and Panchayat Raj when he was the minister for that department in the Siddaramaiah government despite claims of irregularities in the examination process. 

“Even though the High Court and the Supreme Court had ruled that there was widespread irregularity in the selection of gazetted probationary posts in 2011 and had ruled that the appointments were cancelled, and the appeal of the state government was dismissed, Deve Gowda and Kumaraswamy had given a recommendation letter to the then chief minister to appoint the said candidates,” Priyank charged. “What was Kumaraswamy's interest behind lobbying for the recommendation?”

Kumaraswamy, meanwhile, said that several of Priyank’s comments were “childish” and “immature”, including those where the Kalaburagi leader said that the JD(S) second-in-command was acting at the behest of Union Home Minister Amit Shah in bringing up this issue.