Congress, JD(S) trade barbs over 'misuse of agencies

NT Correspondent Bengaluru: There was no love lost between Vokkaliga rivals Union Minister HD Kumaraswamy and Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar as the former accused the latter of misuse of power. Kumaraswamy, who had been attending a job fair in his Lok Sabha constituency Mandya on Friday, alleged that the State government under Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Deputy CM DK Shivakumar had been misusing agencies. The statement came in response to accusations by Congress that the likes of Enforcement Directorate and Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) were being misused by the BJP at the Centre. Kumaraswamy claimed that the ruling Congress in the state had been weaponizing Special Investigation Teams (SITs) formed to probe alleged scams under the rule of the BJP, calling them “Siddaramaiah Investigation Team” and “Shivakumar Investigation Team”.

“SIT has become a weapon to them. Siddaramaiah Investigation Team and Shivakumar Investigation Team are weapons to them,” Kumaraswamy said. “To this government, Kumaraswamy is the target. You have been noticing what is happening. I won’t influence anyone and I am committed to the law,” he added. Shivakumar responded to the allegations by dismissing them, adding that Kumaraswamy simply liked mentioning him every once in a while. “Kumaraswamy needs to remember me every once in a while, else he will have sleeplessness. He and his brothers keep remembering me hence. They are searching for my documents, but all my documents are with the CBI. Had he asked me, I would have given it to him myself,” he said. Referring to Kumaraswamy's statements on revival of the Nandini Infrastructure Corridor Enterprise (NICE) corridor, Shivakumar said: “Let Kumaraswamy first disclose his assets along the NICE road, I will talk about it at an appropriate time.”

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