Kumaraswamy Says Rahul Gandhi Must Show Political Maturity, Opposes Dragging CJI Into Politics

Union Minister for Heavy Industries and Steel H.D. Kumaraswamy on Monday said it was inappropriate to drag the Chief Justice of India (CJI) into political matters and urged Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi to demonstrate greater political maturity.

Kumaraswamy criticised the Congress for seeking an appointment with the CJI over electoral issues, questioning whether the party understood the importance of respecting constitutional institutions and the individuals holding constitutional offices.

He also questioned the Congress’s opposition to the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, asking why the party was resisting voter verification while the Karnataka government itself was reviewing beneficiaries of its welfare guarantee schemes.

Kumaraswamy said the SIR exercise was not new and had been conducted for several years. Congress leaders, however, have alleged that voters’ names are being deleted from electoral rolls and that the number of voters belonging to certain communities is being deliberately reduced.

While acknowledging the importance of voting rights, Kumaraswamy said political leaders should also focus on public welfare and the implementation of government schemes instead of turning electoral roll revision into a political controversy.

He maintained that Congress leaders should respect the protocols governing constitutional institutions while speaking about the Constitution. Questioning the INDIA Bloc’s attempt to seek an appointment with the CJI to discuss political issues, he said leaders should understand which matters could appropriately be raised before constitutional authorities and follow established procedures.

Referring to Karnataka’s guarantee schemes, Kumaraswamy said the state government was conducting surveys and verification exercises amid concerns that eligible beneficiaries were being denied entitlements while ineligible people continued to receive financial assistance.

He demanded an explanation from the state government over the reported reduction of 16 lakh to 20 lakh beneficiaries under the Gruha Lakshmi scheme, widow pensions, disability pensions and old-age pensions. He sought details of the reasons for the reductions and the criteria used to remove beneficiaries.

Kumaraswamy also referred to reports that Rs 79 crore had been credited to the bank accounts of 79 deceased beneficiaries and that the money was being recovered. He said beneficiary verification was necessary to prevent public funds from being transferred to ineligible recipients or disbursed in the names of deceased persons.

He questioned why the Congress was turning a similar verification exercise involving electoral rolls into a political controversy.

Kumaraswamy also criticised Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar, alleging that instead of answering questions surrounding the sting operation controversy, he was spending time on a photoshoot at Mysuru Palace.

Referring to photographs showing Shivakumar seated in front of the royal throne, Kumaraswamy sarcastically remarked that the practice was being portrayed as though it represented a new culture. He also invoked the saying, “Ati vinayam durlakshanam,” which suggests that excessive humility can indicate an undesirable trait.

Reiterating his criticism of the Congress leadership, Kumaraswamy said involving the CJI in political disputes was inappropriate. He questioned how the Chief Justice could be expected to meet political leaders simply because they had taken their demands to the Supreme Court.

Kumaraswamy further alleged that Rahul Gandhi lacked respect for constitutional institutions and the people holding constitutional offices, urging him to approach political issues with greater maturity.

JDS Core Committee chairman M. Krishnareddy, MLA Meluru Ravi, Greater Bengaluru JDS president H.M. Ramesh Gowda and several other leaders were present.