Kumaraswamy attacks Karnataka government over KPSC irregularities, questions Rahul Gandhi's silence

Union Minister H D Kumaraswamy on Sunday launched a scathing attack on the Congress government over the alleged irregularities in KPSC recruitments, and questioned Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi's silence on the issue.

The JD(S) leader questioned the state government's commitment to cleaning up the recruitment system at the Karnataka Public Service Commission (KPSC).

"Rahul Gandhi, where are you? KPSC is rotting. You travel across the country engaging with students and youngsters. When will you come to Bengaluru and hold talks with the victims of the KPSC irregularities? Let us see," Kumaraswamy said.

Speaking to reporters here, he said, "Priyank Kharge (Home Minister) speaks about the RSS every morning, but apparently cannot spot the mess. Candidates who did not deserve to be selected have allegedly been given appointments through compromised examinations. Is your government really capable of cleaning up KPSC," he asked.

"Where is Rahul Gandhi? Bring him to Bengaluru once. Let him sit with the youngsters and engage with them on KPSC," he added.

Reacting to the CID arrest of IAS officer Gyanendra Kumar Gangwar in connection with the KPSC irregularities, Kumaraswamy continued his attack on the state government.

"An officer is arrested today. There is considerable action for a month or two, and then the same individual is given an even more influential posting. What message does this send? Does this amount to genuine action against wrongdoing, or does it simply create the conditions for further irregularities," Kumaraswamy asked.

He alleged that the Congress government lacked both the intent and political will to clean up KPSC.

"The government neither has the will nor the intention to clean up KPSC. If it genuinely wants to act, it must go beyond arresting one officer and answer the larger questions about how this system was allowed to function," he said.

Kumaraswamy cited what he described as glaring discrepancies in the veterinary officer recruitment examination.

"Candidates who scored 95 per cent marks have not got an opportunity and are languishing somewhere at the bottom of the list. At the same time, candidates who failed twice have secured the second rank," he said.

He said repeated controversies had damaged public confidence in KPSC. "I feel disgusted even talking about KPSC. The institution is rotting. A system in this condition cannot deliver justice to the people of Karnataka," he said.

Kumaraswamy also pointed to the Karnataka High Court proceedings concerning alleged irregularities in recruitment and referred to the court's intervention in the Water Resources Department Junior Engineer recruitment.

"The High Court is hearing these recruitment irregularities almost every day. The court has also intervened in the Water Resources Department recruitment. These are not issues that can simply be brushed aside," he said.

Kumaraswamy also recalled Priyank Kharge's earlier statement that he would abolish KPSC if he came to power.

"You once said that if you get power, you would abolish KPSC. Now you have power. Clean it. Use whichever soap or detergent you want, but clean KPSC," he said sarcastically.

The union minister said, "You (Kharge) were Rural Development and Panchayat Raj Minister earlier. Allegations were raised even then. Now you are Home Minister. Tell the people what you have done. Is this what you call cracking down on corruption."

Kumaraswamy said the recruitment controversies were particularly serious because they directly affected unemployed youth.

"Unemployment is rising steadily, while the government and KPSC -- institutions entrusted with safeguarding the interests of our youth are themselves facing serious allegations of irregularities. The careers, aspirations and futures of thousands of young people cannot be allowed to become casualties of a compromised recruitment system," he said.

"Posts are allegedly being sold not merely for lakhs but for crores. Chief Minister D K Shivakumar, is this what you call cracking down on corruption," Kumaraswamy asked.

He challenged the government to disclose how many jobs it had actually provided to unemployed youth during its tenure.

"You were in power for five years earlier (2013-18), and your party has now been in power for three years (since 2023). How many jobs have you actually provided to unemployed youngsters during this period? The government must place that information before the people," he said.