Union Minister for Heavy Industries and Steel H.D. Kumaraswamy addressing the gathering at the Janarondige Janata Dala convention in the Chamundeshwari Assembly Constituency in Mysuru on Sunday (May 17).
| Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

File picture of Union Minister Of Steel and Heavy Industries H.D. Kumaraswamy.
| Photo Credit: The Hindu

The Union government is set to launch another round of production-linked incentive (PLI) scheme for the steel sector, Union Ministry of Steel said in a statement on Sunday (January 5, 2025).

Union Minister of Steel and Heavy Industries H.D. Kumaraswamy will launch the ‘PLI scheme 1.1’ on Monday (January 6, 2024), the statement said .

“Union Minister of Steel and Heavy Industries…will launch ‘PLI scheme 1.1’ for the steel industry and call for applications…on January 6,” the Steel Ministry said in a statement.

The Centre had earlier introduced the PLI scheme to encourage domestic production of specialty steel and lower imports by drawing in capital investments.

Initially launched for three sectors to address the need to boost domestic manufacturing during COVID-19 lockdown, the PLI scheme was later extended to include steel in November 2020.

The scheme has attracted investments worth ₹27,106 crore, envisaging creation of 14,760 direct employment opportunities with an estimated production of 7.90 million tonnes of specialty steel.

As of November 2024, companies have already invested ₹18,300 crore and generated over 8,660 employment opportunities.

The Union government has been interacting regularly with the participating companies and based on feedback, it was felt that there was a scope to notify the scheme again to attract more participation, the Ministry statement said.

Nikhil Kumaraswamy, the son of Union Minister HD Kumaraswamy, a BJP ally, lost to Congress’ CP Yogeshwara by a margin of 25,413 votes in Channapatna, giving the ruling party in Karnataka something to cheer about after the deflating Maharashtra results.

Actor-turned-politician Nikhil Kumaraswamy, who is former Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda’s grandson, secured 87,229 votes, while Yogeshwara, a BJP turncoat, got 1,12,642 votes.

BJP and JD(S) leaders including Deve Gowda, BS Yediyurappa had together campaigned for Nikhil in Channapatna.

A five-time MLA from the segment and a former minister, Yogeshwara, who is also an actor-turned-politician, had joined the Congress after quitting the BJP ahead of his nomination.

With the win in Channapatna, the Congress won all three bypolls in the state. 

In another huge upset for the BJP, Bharath Bommai, son of former Chief Minister of Karnataka Basavaraj Bommai, lost to Congress’ Yasir Pathan in Shigagaon bypoll.

Early trends had initially shown Bharath Bommai leading.

“I don’t say it is a defeat of Bharath Bommai, it’s a message from the people for what his father did. Only two things work – development and guarantees. It is a message from the people that allegations should stop, and concentration should be on work. This is the beginning, and we will come back to power in 2028,” said an upbeat Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar.

Opposition parties made several allegations against Chief Minister, Ministers and government but the false allegations never worked for BJP and JDS, said Mr Shivakumar.

“Kamala (lotus) should be in the lake, JDS must be in field (a pun on the JDS symbol). You should see your face in the mirror that now people rejected your allegations which you made on Chief minister. In Shiggaon, in Sandur and in Channapattana people have rejected the statements made by the BJP and NDA leaders. Their alliance will never work in Karnataka,” he added.

Congress’ Annapoorna Tukaram bested BJP’s Bangara Hanumantha in Sandur.

Bengaluru:

Amid the massive row over his alleged racist remark against Union minister HD Kumaraswamy, Karnataka minister BZ Zameer Ahmed Khan has said he called the JDS leader “Kaalia” out of affection and that he was ready to apologise if the comment upset him.

The minister said this was not the first time he had used the word for HD Kumaraswamy. “Why is it that big (an issue)? I would apologise if I had called him that for the first time. In the days when we were close friends, Kumaraswamy used to address me as Kulla (dwarf) and I would call him Kariya (dark). If Kumaraswamy or anyone else is hurt, I would seek their apology,” the minister told the media.

A five-time Congress MLA, Mr Khan is a Congress minister in the Siddaramaiah-led state government and handles housing, Waqf and minority welfare portfolios. He was campaigning for the Congress’s CP Yogeeshwara in Channapatna Assembly constituency. Mr Yogeeshwara, who had switched to the BJP, has returned to the Congress and will take on HD Kumaraswamy’s son Nikhil in the upcoming bypoll. The Channapatna Assembly seat was vacated when Mr Kumaraswamy, the sitting MLA, was elected to Lok Sabha.

Speaking about Mr Yogeshwara’s return to the Congress, Mr Khan said, “Due to some differences in our party, he contested as an Independent. He had no option but to join the BJP. He was not ready to join the JD(S) because ‘Kaaliya Kumaraswamy’ was more dangerous than the BJP. Now he has come back home,” the state minister said.

The remark drew a sharp response from the JDS, which termed it a “new low in political discourse”. “The nation vehemently condemns the disgraceful and racially charged remarks by Zameer Ahmed against HD Kumaraswamy. This kind of hateful language marks a new low in political discourse and has no place in a civilized society. We demand accountability from leaders who choose divisive attacks over constructive dialogue,” the party said in a post on X.

Kiren Rijiju, BJP leader and Mr Kumaraswamy’s colleague in the central government, slammed the remark and used the opportunity to target Congress leader Rahul Gandhi. “I strongly deplore Congress Minister Zameer Ahmed calling Union Minister & Ex CM of Karnataka Sh. Kumaraswamy as ‘Kaalia Kumaraswamy’. This is a racist remark, same as Rahul Gandhi’s adviser calling South Indians look like Africans, North East as Chinese, North Indians as Arabs,” he said.

A political controversy has broken out over an alleged racist remark by Karnataka Minister BZ Zameer Ahmed Khan against Union Minister and JD(S) leader HD Kumaraswamy. Mr Kumaraswamy’s party has hit back at Mr Khan and demanded that the Congress government sack him from the Cabinet.

The leader issued the remark while talking about Channapatna Congress candidate CP Yogeeshwara who had joined BJP but came back to the Congress recently.

“Due to some differences in our party (Congress), he contested as an independent. He had no option but to join the BJP. He was not ready to join the JD(S) because ‘Kaaliya Kumaraswamy’ was more dangerous than the BJP. Now he (Yogeeshwara) has come back home,” the state minister said.

“Kaaliya” is a racist slur for dark-complexioned people.

Mr Yogeeshwara is contesting the Channapatna assembly bypoll against Mr Kumaraswamy’s son Nikhil Kumaraswamy who is contesting as an NDA candidate on the JD(S) ticket.

JD(S) termed Mr Khan’s remark “racist” and sought to know the colour of Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, ministers HC Mahadevappa, Satish Jarakiholi, Priyank Kharge and KH Muniyappa.

The nation vehemently condemns the disgraceful and racially charged remarks by Zameer Ahmed against HD Kumaraswamy. This kind of hateful language marks a new low in political discourse and has no place in a civilized society. We demand accountability from leaders who choose… https://t.co/teH4kZbzmN

— Janata Dal Secular (@JanataDal_S) November 11, 2024

Calling it a “new low in the political discourse”, the JD(S), posted on X: “Dismiss such a low mentality person from the Cabinet immediately”.

Union Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Kiren Rijijy also condemned Mr Khan’s remark. “I strongly deplore Congress Minister Zameer Ahmed calling Union Minister & Ex CM of Karnataka Sh. Kumaraswamy as ‘Kaalia Kumaraswamy’. This is a racist remark, same as Rahul Gandhi’s adviser calling South Indians look like Africans, North East as Chinese, North Indians as Arabs,” he posted on ‘X’.

Bengaluru:

Union Minister for Heavy Industries and Steel HD Kumaraswamy and his son Nikhil Kumaraswamy got relief from the Karnataka High Court in connection with the FIR registered against him based on the complaint by Lokayukta SIT ADGP M Chandrashekar.

The High Court bench passed the order on Wednesday while looking into the petition by Kumaraswamy seeking quashing of the FIR. ADGP Chandrashekhar has registered the complaint against Union Minister Kumaraswamy at Bengaluru’s Sanjaynagar Police Station.

The High Court has ordered that no coercive action be taken against him and granted him interim relief.

Senior counsel Hashmat Pasha, appearing for Kumaraswamy, argued that the police are attempting to cancel a 10-year-old anticipatory bail by reviving the case.

The High Court ruled that the FIR cannot be used to revoke old anticipatory bail. Additionally, the High Court recorded a statement from the State Public Prosecutor (SPP) that no coercive measures would be taken against Kumaraswamy in this matter.

Karnataka Police had registered an FIR against Kumaraswamy, on Tuesday as per the directions of a court.

Senior IPS officer Chandrashekar had accused Kumaraswamy of defaming and threatening him and his family.

Sanjaynagar police in Bengaluru had registered the FIR against Kumaraswamy.

The FIR is registered under Section 224 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) 2023.

The police have named Kumaraswamy’s son Nikhil Kumaraswamy as the second accused in the case.

C B Suresh Babu, the JD-S party floor leader in the Legislative Assembly is named as the third accused in the case.

The police had taken a non-cognisable miscellaneous case.

Chandrashekar had approached the court demanding registration of an FIR against Kumaraswamy.

Chandrashekar, in his complaint to the court, had alleged that he had been heading the SIT team probing a case of illegal mining in 2014 – case no. 16/2014 and after getting additional evidence in the case, the investigating team had sought sanction of prosecution from the Governor recently.

In response to this, HD Kumaraswamy held a press conference on September 28 and 29 – where the minister made malicious accusations, threatening the IPS officer and his family members.

The IPS officer, in his complaint to the court, alleged that Kumaraswamy orally threatened him that he would be shunted to another state cadre and also made ill-intended allegations against his family members.

In reply to the charges, Chandrashekar wrote a letter to his staff and refuted all allegations calling it false and malicious.

Chandrashekar concluded his letter by quoting George Bernard Shaw’s famous lines, “Never wrestle with a pig because you’ll both get dirty, and the pig likes it.”

Kumaraswamy expressed outrage on Tuesday, calling the FIR filed against him based on a complaint by a senior IPS officer, Lokayukta SIT chief, M. Chandrashekar as “ridiculous and malicious.”

Kumaraswamy responded to media questions, saying, “During this by-election, the Congress-led state government is targeting us out of sheer animosity. I will respond to this through the judiciary.”

“I have read the FIR and the complaint’s content. It is completely ridiculous and clearly malicious. The complainant has stated that I allegedly made accusations against him in a press conference and has asked for action. Did I provide false information about him? He can review my press conference video if he wants,” said the Union Minister.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Bengaluru:

JD(S) leader HD Kumaraswamy on Sunday hit out at Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah for accusing the opposition of dragging his wife in the MUDA case and blamed the latter’s ‘wrongs’ for the situation.

The Union Minister also challenged Siddaramaiah for a debate on the Congress government’s achievements and developmental activities so far.

“Time and again you (Siddaramaiah) say the opposition is jealous and you are accusing the opposition of dragging your wife (into the MUDA case). You have brought your wife, who was respectfully at home, out (in this case). It is not done by us, the opposition. You have brought her out because of wrongs you have committed (in her name),” HD Kumaraswamy said.

Addressing reporters here, he said, “repeatedly you (Siddaramaiah) speak about AHINDA, what have you done for AHINDA (Kannada acronym for minorities, backward classes and Dalits)? Haven’t we seen what has happened in Valmiki Corporation (scam), the loot that has happened.” 

Pointing to the Chief Minister’s emotional appeal to people if they would forgive the opposition for targeting his wife over the MUDA ‘scam’, HD Kumaraswamy said, “Whether people will forgive or accept us, they will decide later. Let him ask the people what they will do to him (Siddaramaiah) for this kind of governance…” 

Siddaramaiah had on Saturday come down heavily on the opposition BJP and the JD(S) for dragging his wife Parvathi B M in the MUDA case, who had never stepped into public life and was confined to her house. He also charged the opposition with targeting him because they could not tolerate a person from a backward community in the Chief Minister’s post.

Siddaramaiah is facing the Lokayukta and ED probes into alleged irregularities in allotment of 14 sites to his wife by the Mysuru Urban Development Authority (MUDA).

His wife Parvathi, brother-in-law Mallikarjuna Swamy, Devaraju — from whom Mallikarjuna Swamy purchased land and gifted it to Parvathi — and others are named as other accused in the case.

Alleging that the Congress government is entangled in scams, HD Kumaraswamy said, “No ministers including the Chief Minister have any concern for the troubles faced by the people… they speak about development, only god should save us.” He challenged Siddaramaiah for a discussion on achievements and development work of the current Congress government led by him, with that of his (Kumaraswamy) 14 months JD(S)-Congress coalition government in 2018-19.

Claiming that he had to function as chief minister without proper cooperation from the Congress during the coalition government, HD Kumaraswamy said, “JD(S) had only 38 MLAs then… what all you (Siddaramaiah/Congress) did then? Today you are saying Kumaraswamy didn’t work for 14 months.” 

Citing rain-related issues reported in the last couple of days in parts of the city, HD Kumaraswamy said, “A deadline was set to fill potholes… we are seeing the quality of the work that was done, following this rains.” Not only in Bengaluru, in several parts of the state the post monsoon rains are more than expected, leading to damage of crops and people facing trouble, he said, while accusing the government of ‘failing’ to address the issues.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Bengaluru:

Union Minister HD Kumaraswamy on Saturday attacked Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and accused him of having “double standards” while speaking about the governor.

“When Siddaramaiah was in power earlier, he praised the governor for permitting prosecution against former Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa. When the governor has permitted prosecution against him, Siddaramaiah and his party members are disrespecting the governor,” Mr Kumaraswamy said.

He pointed out that the Congress had different narratives when the late Hansraj Bhardwaj was the governor compared to their stance now with Thaawarchand Gehlot.

“After the permission for prosecution was granted, Congress leaders have behaved in an extremely disgraceful manner. They have insulted the governor by placing slippers on his portrait and burning effigies. Now, whom will they throw slippers at and burn effigies of,” Mr Kumaraswamy asked. 

He added the government and the chief minister are at fault while the governor has acted within his authority.

“It is the governor’s right to seek clarification from the government, as Siddaramaiah himself had said earlier. He seems to have forgotten his own words now. Let him listen to his own statements issued earlier,” he said.

Mr Kumaraswamy mentioned that several cases have been filed against Siddaramaiah in the Lokayukta. “He is not innocent. If he had no role in the Mysuru Urban Development Authority (MUDA) scam, why did he rush several decisions in the cabinet meetings? Even 48 hours after the court’s order, why hasn’t an FIR been registered against the chief minister? Is this how governance works,” he questioned.

The minister also accused the chief minister, deputy chief minister and home minister of misusing the police to harass individuals. “I am not someone who will be intimidated by such actions,” he declared.

Mr Kumaraswamy clarified that he had not received any notice from the Lokayukta. “I voluntarily went to the Lokayukta office. Without me doing that, they wouldn’t have been able to take a single step. I have not committed any illegal acts like land grabbing or encroachment in Arkavathy.”

Regarding the cases against him, Mr Kumaraswamy said, “Let the cases against me be decided in court. Once the verdict is out, I will accept it. Why should I resign just because they are demanding it?”

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Bengaluru:

Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah – battling vehement calls to quit over the alleged Mysuru land scam – counterattacked Friday, flagging Janata Dal Secular boss HD Kumaraswamy and asking why his party’s ally, the Bharatiya Janata Party, had not demanded his resignation too.

“Which government does HD Kumaraswamy belong to? There is an FIR… why did he not resign? He is a minister in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s cabinet,” he said Friday afternoon. Mr Kumaraswamy faces a police case over claims he provided “false information” before the Lok Sabha election.

The JDS boss is currently the Union Heavy Industries Minister. He lost no time in hitting back on X, beginning with a “‘uighe, uighe to your sidvilasa” – which translates roughly as mocking praise.

He pointed to attempts by Siddaramaiah’s earlier government to form an Anti-Corruption Bureau by clipping the state Lokayukta’s wings, and contrasted that with him now trying to ensure the Lokayukta, and not the CBI, a federal agency, conducts inquiries against him.

“Isn’t this karma, Mr Siddaramaiah? ACB was also dismissed by the High Court… and now you have sidelined the Lokayukta and closed the door for the CBI to enter the state…” he jeered, referring to a 2022 verdict that said the then state government could not set up an ACB as a Lokayukta is operating.

Mr. @siddaramaiah..
Ughe Ughe to your ‘Sidvilasa’

Then: To escape from scams, you build a ‘samadhi’ for Lokayukta and formed ACB!

Now: The same Lokayukta is a place you found to get rid of ‘Mudahagaran’!!

Isn’t it Karma Mr siddaramaiah?
ACB was also dismissed by the High Court…

— ಹೆಚ್.ಡಿ.ಕುಮಾರಸ್ವಾಮಿ | H.D.Kumaraswamy (@hd_kumaraswamy) September 27, 2024

Siddaramaiah’s jab at HD Kumaraswamy underlines the pressure – from the BJP, the JDS, and even by some within his own party – the Chief Minister faces in his battle to retain his post.

READ | “Request…”: Under-Fire Siddaramaiah Faces ‘Quit’ Calls From Within Party

So far, though, he is defiant. On Thursday, after a special court ordered a police case and directed the Lokayukta to finish inquiries in three months, he declared “I am not afraid”.

“I will fight. I am not afraid of anything. We are ready to face the investigation. I will fight this legally,” he said after a second setback in as many days. On Wednesday the High Court had quashed his challenge to Governor Thawar Chand Gehlot’s sanction to prosecute a sitting Chief Minister.

READ | “Governor’s Action As Per Law”: Big Setback For Siddaramaiah

The Chief Minister on Thursday also hit out at Mr Modi after the Prime Minister’s sharp comments about the Congress government in Karnataka at a rally in poll-bound Haryana.

Prime Minister @narendramodi, in his usual reckless manner, has claimed there is infighting within the Karnataka Congress. It seems the PM has either misread or deliberately twisted the recent media reports, confusing BJP’s internal chaos with Congress. I demand that he…

— Siddaramaiah (@siddaramaiah) September 26, 2024

In a lengthy post on X Siddaramaiah told the PM “don’t throw stones while sitting in a glass house”, pointing to what he said was infighting in his party’s state unit.

MUDA Land Scam Case  

Siddaramaiah faces an inquiry into claims his wife, Parvathi, was allotted multiple plots of land in an upmarket Mysuru area as compensation for land elsewhere – an exchange that allegedly cost the state losses of at least Rs 4,000 crore – taken for infrastructure projects.

He has firmly denied the charge; last month he said he had not done anything illegal in a political career of four decades, and expressed confidence the judiciary would absolve him.

READ | “In 40 Years Did Nothing Wrong”: Siddaramaiah Amid Land Scam Row

The Chief Minister, who has been firmly backed by his party; his deputy, DK Shivakumar; and members of his Cabinet, has also, so far, dismissed calls to summon the CBI, insisting the inquiry will be handled by the Mysuru branch of the state Lokayukta.

Meanwhile, on Thursday, his government withdrew general consent for the federal agency in a move many see as a pre-emptive measure in case the High Court orders a CBI probe.

READ | “CBI Biased”: Karnataka Withdraws Permission To Operate In State

The agency now cannot investigate in Karnataka without the state government’s permission.

Law Minister HK Patil refused any link between this move and the land scam allegations facing the Chief Minister, expressing, as many other opposition parties have, “concerns about the misuse of the agency”. “They are biased… that is why are taking this decision,” he said.

NDTV is now available on WhatsApp channels. Click on the link to get all the latest updates from NDTV on your chat.

Mysuru:

HD Kumaraswamy, Union Minister for Heavy Industries and Steel, asked Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar who is responsible for the Cafe Coffee Day (CCD) founder VG Siddhartha’s death.

“Shivakumar was given a political life by SM Krishna at a time when he was a Kotwal (rowdy). He must tell people who is responsible for the death of Siddhartha and he should present the facts before the people,” the Union Minister said while addressing the concluding ceremony of BJP-JD (S) padyatra in Mysuru.

Siddhartha was the son-in-law of former Union Minister of External Affairs SM Krishna. Mr Shivakumar’s daughter is married to the son of Siddhartha.

Siddhartha died by suicide after coming under financial strain.

Mr Kumaraswamy said that Mr Shivakumar along with others used to steal the iron chambers fixed for sewerage pipes during the night and sold them to the scrap industry to make money.

He said that Mr Shivakumar often claims that under his leadership, people gave 136 seats in Assembly elections and his (Kumaraswamy) leadership JD-S got only 19 seats.

“Why did the people give you only 8 out of 28 Lok Sabha seats?” he asked.

Reacting to the charges of the Union Minister, Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar said that Mr Kumaraswamy “needs urgent medical treatment for mental instability”.

“Kumaraswamy knows nothing about my relationship with former Union Minister of External Affairs SM Krishna. He has gone mad. I will tell his party men and well-wishers to get him medical attention for his mental health,” the Deputy Chief Minister said.

On the allegation of usurped properties, the Deputy Chief Minister said, “Let Kumaraswamy bring anyone whose property I have forcibly taken. It is not in my blood to usurp properties by force.”

On the allegation of assuming huge wealth, the Deputy Chief Minister said, “I come from a poor farmer family. My life began when I came to NPS School in Bengaluru.”

Replying to Mr Kumaraswamy’s allegation that Shivakumar ditched him when he was the Chief Minister, he said, “Let the leaders of his party tell me how I ditched him when he was the Chief Minister. He clearly needs medical treatment.”

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)