Union Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy accused the Congress government in Karnataka of utilizing the state’s resources for national elections. He criticized the proposed expansion of the Karnataka Cabinet, alleging the introduction of a “management quota” for ministerial inductions. Kumaraswamy claimed that lobbying for ministerial positions involves securing berths through a “management quota” or a “payment quota.”
He further alleged that money is being collected from ministerial aspirants, with Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar reportedly extracting funds from MLAs under the guise of payments to the High Command. Kumaraswamy sarcastically remarked that only those capable of securing “payment seats” would qualify as ministers, possibly causing delays in the Cabinet expansion. Drawing parallels with professional course admissions, he criticized the emergence of a new system in Karnataka for Cabinet induction, involving a “High Command quota” and a “management quota.”
Kumaraswamy also claimed that Chief Minister Shivakumar aims to make Rahul Gandhi the Prime Minister, using Karnataka’s resources for election campaigns nationwide. Addressing cross-voting in Legislative Council elections, he mentioned BJP leaders planning a meeting at Dharmasthala and considered the council elections a closed chapter. Kumaraswamy reassured his party members about development funds and hinted at plans to overthrow the Congress government in 2028.
Discussing the Bidadi project, Kumaraswamy highlighted his initiative to establish industrial clusters across Karnataka for manufacturing and employment growth, emphasizing the exclusion of townships or industries on irrigated or agriculture-dependent land.
