Kumaraswamy Will Sideline Ashok and Vijayendra, Says Shivakumar

Karnataka Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar on Sunday predicted a churn within the BJP-JD(S) alliance, saying Union Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy is positioning himself to displace Leader of Opposition R. Ashok and State BJP president B.Y. Vijayendra as elections draw closer.

Speaking at an event where former two-time legislator N.L. Narendra Babu returned to the Congress from the BJP, Mr. Shivakumar said Mr. Kumaraswamy was waiting to see whether he could gain by pulling the two leaders down, and was issuing statements daily, including threats to "explode a bomb."

The Chief Minister said that of the 13 legislators who crossed over to the BJP in the 2019 episode known as Operation Kamala, only three or four remain active. He argued that survival in the BJP is difficult, while the Congress offers room for anyone who joins.

Turning to Mr. Kumaraswamy directly, Mr. Shivakumar asked him to create at least 50,000 jobs in the State, offering land anywhere, including Mandya, for the purpose. He said that instead of taking up such work, the Union Minister was threatening to bring him down and was free to approach the Directorate of Enforcement or the Central Bureau of Investigation. He questioned why Mr. Kumaraswamy seeks a stay from the court when an investigation is pending against him, adding that he himself would not resort to such measures because he does not want hate.

Mr. Shivakumar also criticised Bengaluru South MP Tejasvi Surya's opposition to the tunnel project over concerns that rock formations in Lalbagh would be affected, saying Mr. Surya had never seen the rock. He recalled the MP's 2019 remarks that only "the uneducated, illiterates, and puncture-wallahs" opposed the Citizenship Amendment Act, a comment widely read as targeting Muslims.

On defections, the Chief Minister told reporters that several BJP and JD(S) leaders were in touch with him, party president B.K. Hariprasad and other leaders about joining the Congress. He said he had authorised district Ministers and party leaders to prepare a list, and that those who believe in the party's ideology would be accommodated, with opportunities given to the younger generation.

Separately, Mr. Shivakumar claimed that the Congress government's guarantee schemes had been copied elsewhere, naming Bihar, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh, and said U.S. President Donald Trump was now doing the same by offering a certain amount of dollars for votes. Mr. Trump recently offered $5,000 to every adult American citizen under a "Trump Dividend" if Republicans retained a majority in the Senate and the House of Representatives in the coming midterm polls.