Kumaraswamy – Artifex.News

BJP and JD(S) accuse Congress of misleading people on VB-G RAM G scheme, welcome special session

admin — Sun, 11 Jan 2026 00:43:00 +0000

Union Minister of Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises H. D. Kumaraswamy, BJP Karnataka State president B.Y. Vijayendra, Leader of the Opposition of the Karnataka Legislative Assembly R .Ashok during press conference in Bengaluru on Saturday.
| Photo Credit: SUDHAKARA JAIN

The Bharatiya Janata Party and its ally Janata Dal (Secular) on Saturday accused the Congress government in Karnataka of “spreading misinformation” on the Union government’s VB-G RAM G scheme, while welcoming Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s decision to convene a special session of the Legislature to discuss the issue.

At a joint press conference addressed by Union Minister for Heavy Industries and Steel H.D. Kumaraswamy, BJP State president B.Y. Vijayendra and other senior party leaders, the Opposition alliance said the scheme was a major rural employment and livelihood programme conceptualised under Prime Minister Narendra Modi and aimed at strengthening gram panchayats and social audits.

Mr. Vijayendra said the Congress was attempting to “mislead” people by claiming that the scheme would dilute MGNREGA. “The Centre has increased the number of workdays from 100 to 125 and ensured funds reach beneficiaries directly. Gram panchayat decisions will continue as before and powers are not being taken away. The Congress never thought of schemes but only scams during its years in power. It is now campaigning against the scheme even before its roll out,” he said, asserting that the BJP-JD(S) would take the issue to the village level to counter the “misinformation”.

Open debate

Mr. Kumaraswamy challenged Congress leaders to an open debate on the scheme. He said the Congress, which ruled the country for decades, did not name major schemes after Mahatma Gandhi and had “failed to address corruption and fake bills under MGNREGA”. “MGNREGA has not been stopped. Irregularities have been corrected. The Congress is now opposing transparency and social audits,” he said.

According to him, the scheme follows a 60:40 funding pattern, with the Centre bearing the larger share. He said the scheme provides for project design at the gram panchayat level, priority setting by gram sabhas and mandatory social audits. “This level of accountability was missing earlier,” he said, claiming that the Centre was not weakening panchayat powers or State rights.

Fake job cards

The Opposition alliance alleged that the State government had previously failed to prevent fake job cards and inflated bills, and cited past incidents where wage payments were delayed.

Both leaders welcomed Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s decision to convene a two-day special session to discuss the scheme. “Let us debate what the Congress achieved through MGNREGA and what the Centre has done in the last 10 years,” Mr. Vijayendra said, adding that the State government had not yet notified its promised State Education Policy after deciding not to implement the National Education Policy.

The alliance also alleged that the Congress was unable to accept the Prime Minister’s popularity and was attempting to create discontent. It said the Opposition would not allow “false narratives” to go unchallenged.

Published – January 11, 2026 06:13 am IST

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HD Kumaraswamy’s Fresh Appeal To Prajwal Revanna

admin — Wed, 22 May 2024 15:01:09 +0000

The MP reportedly left for Germany on April 27, a day after his constituency went to the polls.

Mysuru:

Janata Dal (Secular) leader HD Kumaraswamy on Wednesday once again appealed to his nephew and Hassan MP Prajwal Revanna, who is facing charges of sexually abusing women, to return from abroad and face investigation.

The former chief minister said there are no differences between his party and its alliance partner, the BJP, over the allegations against Prajwal Revanna. “This case has nothing to do with the alliance,” he said.

Mr Revanna is the grandson of JDS patriarch and former PM HD Deve Gowda and is the NDA’s candidate from the Hassan Lok Sabha constituency.

The MP reportedly left for Germany on April 27, a day after the Hassan segment went to polls, and is still at large.

A ‘Blue Corner Notice’ seeking information on his whereabouts has already been issued by the Interpol, following a request by the SIT via the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).

A Special Court for Elected Representatives issued an arrest warrant on Saturday against Prajwal Revanna, following an application moved by the Special Investigation Team (SIT) set up by the state government to probe the serial sex abuse charges against the MP.

“When he (Mr Revanna) was in Karnataka, he never came to me, now that he is somewhere abroad will he come to my contact?” Mr Kumaraswamy told reporters here in response to a question whether he was making any attempts to find Mr Revanna and bring him back using his sources.

Admitting that the delay in Mr Revanna’s return has caused damage to his party and the family’s reputation, the JDS state President said, “I have openly appealed to him — if you have respect for the party, its karyakartas, and Deve Gowda come back from wherever you are. Come back first and cooperate with the SIT’s probe….If you have not done anything wrong come and prove, if you have committed wrong then bow down and face the punishment.”

“Following my appeal, I’m hopeful that he (Mr Revanna) will come back…. Don’t take advice from any advocates on this matter. To save his morality he has to come back from wherever he is, this is my demand,” he added.

To another query, he said Mr Revanna was neither in touch with his father and MLA H D Revanna nor with anyone.

“Where will I go search for him? If I go abroad, they will say I have gone to save Prajwal… he is not in contact with anyone, with the advice of some advocates all these things have happened. In case, I had come to know about him leaving for abroad on April 27, I would have stopped him,” he said.

“Prajwal had sought a week’s time to appear before SIT, but it was denied and another rape case was filed against him. With all this he might be afraid (to come back),” he said.

Reacting to reports that some businessman was helping Mr Revanna, Mr Kumaraswamy said, “I’m not aware of it. No businessman comes to me, only people wanting to share their difficulties come to me.” He also alleged that the Congress government in the state has planned to finish off the Deve Gowda family politically, with such cases.

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

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