Bengaluru:

 Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar has rejected BJP’s demand for the resignation of state minister Priyank Kharge and said party leaders “know his integrity”.

“We know the integrity of Priyank Kharge, the investigation is going on. No question of anyone resigning. Priyank Kharge is our Dalit leader. It is not possible (to hand over the case to CBI). We know how CBI works. Our police and officials are capable of doing the investigation,” Mr Shivakumar said.

Priyank Kharge is son of Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge

 He was responding to a query about Karnataka BJP chief BY Vijayendra’s remarks that that Bidar contractor’s alleged suicide case should be handed over to CBI and Priyanka Kharge should resign. .

“Many leaders and others take pictures with us, does it mean we have a relation with them? Our government is clean, they (BJP) don’t have anything, that’s why they’re speaking in this way,” Mr Shivakumar said.

“BJP government gave only my case to CBI…Priyank Kharge is our government’s vocal minister, he’s a Dalit leader who is emerging and he’s doing best in IT and BT, that’s why they’re trying all this, it’s not the case for CBI, I have read all about CBI when they sent me to jail, we know how CBI working, our police and officials are capable to do the investigation,” he added.

Earlier Priyank Kharge strongly criticized the BJP for allegedly politicizing the suicide of a contractor in Bidar.

Speaking on the tragic incident, Kharge stated that the situation is clear and the views of both the contractor and the accused should be thoroughly investigated.

“It’s very clear that BJP is trying to politicise a suicide by a contractor. It is clear that the contractor has a view about the incident and the accused has a view about the incident,” Kharge said in his statement.

He emphasized the importance of an impartial investigation to uncover the truth behind the incident. Kharge also pointed out that the BJP’s reaction was politically motivated, asserting that the party’s previous tenure had seen several contractor suicides.”The BJP can do whatever it wants. Everyone knows what they did and how many contractors committed suicide during their tenure,” he added.

Vijayendra Yediyurappa has attacked the Congress alleging that Sachin, a contractor from Bidar, died by suicide due to harassment and threats from Priyank Kharge’s close aide Raju Kapanur. He claimed that Sachin left behind a detailed letter highlighting his ordeal.

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

Bengaluru:

Priyank Kharge, Karnataka minister and the son of Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge, denied all allegations levelled by the BJP in connection with the suicide of a contractor in the state and said he is waiting for the forensic test report on the 8-page note left by Sachin Panchal. The note, which alleges that he had received threats from Raju Kapanur – who the BJP claim is a close aide of Priyank Kharge – also claims there is a conspiracy to kill a BJP MLA. 

In an exclusive interview to NDTV, Mr Kharge said while the note has a huge discrepancy which merits investigation. 

“It is an 8-page note, where the seventh page signed. This is the eighth page mentioning the conspiracy theory to murder ex-MLA or MLA,’ he said. “I think this is delusional. These kind of things do not happen in Karnataka. This is not UP Bihar or a BJP ruled state. Let the FSL report come out,” he added. 

Asked if he knew the contractor, he denied categorically. Asked if he has any connection with Raju Kapanur as the BJP alleges, he said the note “named eight people a couple of whom are from my party”.

“We have not denied it. I have said one of the accused is a brother of a Congress corporator. unlike the BJP we have nothing to hide. We are very clear on what has transpired.  I have asked for a free and fair investigation,” he added.

Asked about the BJP demands for a CBI investigation into the matter, he said whenever investigations have been handed to the CBI under a Congress government, the Central agency has confirmed the findings of the state police. 

Declaring that while the BJP has a “newfound love for the CBI in Opposition-ruled states,” he questioned if the party has been able to produce a shred of evidence against the government or him. “They are doing hit-and-run politics. I double-dare the BJP to prove anything against me or the government”.

Mr Kharge pointed out that unlike the other contractor who committed suicide during the rule of the erstwhile BJP-led government, “naming and shaming ministers,” the suicide note this time has no mention of him. 

In the note, Sachin Panchal, a contractor from Bidar, had alleged that Raju Kapanur had demanded Rs 1 crore from him, of which he had paid Rs 15 lakh. He also alleged that Congress leaders had connived to kill several people, including Siddalinga Swami of Andola Math, BJP leaders Manikanth Rathod and Chandu Patil.

Calling the BJP a divided house, Mr Kharge said the party now just intends to use a smokescreen to cover up their own factionalism and shortcomings.

Bengaluru:

The suicide of a contractor in Karnataka and his allegations against an aide of Priyank Kharge — Karnataka minister and the son of Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge — is becoming the next flashpoint between the BJP and the Congress. A BJP member of Rajya Sabha took at dig at Kharge senior with a post on X, saying while he is “busy saving democracy in Delhi, this is what is happening in his backyard, the Republic of Kalaburgi”.

“His son, who acts like a great constitutional expert, is getting into one trouble after another. This is not the only thing that is happening, the details of Kharge Ji’s family trusts and land scams are also tumbling out one after the other. His family trust was recently forced to return 5 acres of KIADB land in Bengaluru, taken under the Dalit quota. Thanks to Smt. Sonia Gandhi’s RTI legislation, the documents are rich in details,” added Lahar Singh Siroya in his post.

While respected Mallikarjun @Kharge Ji is busy saving democracy in Delhi, this is what is happening in his backyard, the Republic of Kalaburgi. His son, who acts like a great constitutional expert, is getting into one trouble after another.

This is not the only thing that is… pic.twitter.com/RdOLSVopb0

— Lahar Singh Siroya (@LaharSingh_MP) December 29, 2024

A police case has been registered against Raju Kapanur, the close aide of Karnataka Minister Priyank Kharge, and five others in connection with the suicide note left by Sachin Panchal, a contractor from Bidar. In the note, he alleged that Raju Kapanur had demanded Rs 1 crore from him, reports said. 

In his note, he also alleged that Congress leaders had connived to kill several people, including Siddalinga Swami of Andola Math, BJP leaders Manikanth Rathod and Chandu Patil.

Priyank Kharge hit out at the BJP, accusing the party of making baseless allegations against him and politicising the contractor’s death.

He said Panchal’s death note does not mention his name, and added that there were financial transactions between Panchal and Kapanur which need to be investigated.

New Delhi:

In a sharp response to Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath’s barbs at his father and Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge, Karnataka Minister Priyank Kharge has said the veteran leader never exploited personal tragedy for “political gain” and never played “victim card”.

The junior Kharge was responding to the firebrand BJP leader’s barbs at his father while campaigning for the November 20 Maharashtra Assembly polls. Countering Mallikarjun Kharge’s “leaders in the guise of sadhus” remark, Mr Adityanath referred to the Congress’s chief childhood tragedy when his mother died in a arson by Razakars, a paramilitary wing that worked for the Nizam in the then princely state of Hyderabad. Mr Adityanath said Mr Kharge had “buried his feelings” for the sake of Congress’s “votebank politics”.

“These days Khargeji is getting angry with me… Khargeji, don’t get angry at me. I respect your age. If you want to get angry… get angry at the Hyderabad Nizam. The Nizam’s ‘razakars’ burnt your village, brutally killed Hindus, and burnt your respected mother, sister, and family members. Present this truth before the country – whenever they will be divided, they will be divided in the same brutal manner,” the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister said.

“His village was under the Nizam of Hyderabad… when India was under the British. There was a fire… this was when Hindus were being selectively killed. And, in this fire, his home was also burned down, in which his mother and family were killed. But Khargeji does not say this… because he knows if he says it, then Muslim votes will shift. He forgot the sacrifice of his family for the sake of votes,” Mr Adityanath said.

Responding to the remarks, Mr Kharge’s son Priyank said his father narrowly escaped death during that tragic incident and went on to become a 9-time MLA, an MP, a Union Minister, Leader of the Opposition and a Congress president. “Despite the tragedy, he never exploited it for political gain, never played the victim card and never let hatred define him,” he added in a post on X.

The Karnataka minister said the atrocities against the Kharge family was committed by Razakars, not the entire Muslim community. “Every community has bad apples and individuals who do wrong.”

Priyank Kharge said the 82-year-old Congress chief is fighting tirelessly to uphold the values of Buddha-Basavanna-Ambedkar and to protect the Constitution.

“So, Yogi Ji, take your hate elsewhere. You cannot bulldoze his principles or his ideology. Try winning the elections on PM @narendramodi ji’s ‘achievements’ instead trying to sow seeds of hatred in the society for political gains,” the Congress leader said.

Earlier, Mr Kharge had launched a veiled attack on the BJP leader over his “batenge to katenge” remarks that the Opposition has described as divisive.

“Many (political) leaders live in the guise of sadhus and become politicians… some even become chief ministers. They wear gerua (saffron) clothes and have no hair on their heads…,” the Congress chief said, clearly referring to Mr Adityanath. “I would say… either wear white clothes or, if you are a sanyasi, get out of politics.”

“On the one hand you wear gerua clothes… on the other you say ‘batenge toh katenge’. They are spreading hatred among the people and are trying to divide them,” he had said.

Bengaluru, Karnataka:

Karnataka’s IT-BT Minister Priyank Kharge said on Monday that he is not aware of what the IT firms have proposed with regard to extending employee working hours from 12 hours to 14 hours.

The minister said that there is a draft bill brought by the Labour department and more discussion will take place on it before it is approved.

“I am not sure what proposal ITES (Information Technology Enabled Services companies) have given but there was a bill that was brought in by Labour Department. We will look at it. There is a misconception about the bill. We will have a discussion and we will be more than happy to brief media about that,” Priyank Kharge told ANI.

His reaction came after the Karnataka State IT/ITeS Employees’ Union (KITU) expressed reservations about the Karnataka government’s reported move to allow the IT firms to increase the working hours of their employees from 12 hours to 14 hours. They said that 14-hour work day is an ‘attack on basic rights of a worker.’

There have been reports that IT firms have put forward a proposal to the state government to amend the Karnataka Shops and Commercial Establishments Act in order to allow for a legal extension of work hours to 14 hours, or 12 hours plus two hours of overtime.

Recently, the Karnataka government had to put on hold a draft bill that mandated reservation for local candidates in private companies. The bill mandated 50 percent reservation in the management posts and 70 percent reservation in non-management posts for the local candidates.

The bill faced widespread criticism from investors and trade bodies. As criticism grew on the bill, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah announced that the bill had been put on hold and that wider consultation would take place on it.

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

New Delhi:

Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw, the founder of pharmaceutical giant Biocon, on Wednesday opposed the proposal to reserve private jobs for local hires in Karnataka, which houses the country’s information technology hub Bengaluru.

Taking to her official X account, Ms Shaw said highly skilled recruitment must be exempted from the Karnataka government’s decision mandating reservation for Kannadigas in private firms.

She also said the job reservation for locals must not affect the state’s leading position in the technology sector.

“As a tech hub, we need skilled talent and whilst the aim is to provide jobs for locals we must not affect our leading position in technology by this move. There must be caveats that exempt highly skilled recruitment from this policy, said wrote on X.

As a tech hub we need skilled talent and whilst the aim is to provide jobs for locals we must not affect our leading position in technology by this move. There must be caveats that exempt highly skilled recruitment from this policy. @siddaramaiah@DKShivakumar@PriyankKhargehttps://t.co/itYWdHcMWw

— Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw (@kiranshaw) July 17, 2024

Her post drew a response from Karnataka’s Minister for Information Technology and Biotechnology Priyank Kharge, who said “no detrimental rules or laws will be enforced without due consultations with stakeholders”.

“Karnataka has always led the nation in economic growth and we continue to do so,” he said.

Citing that Karnataka is the fourth largest technology cluster in the world, number 1 in the India Innovation Index, and first in IT service exports, he said the state has achieved “these milestones and many more because our Government consistently engages with all stakeholders to draft policies and schemes that boost investments and create more employment opportunities.”

“As always, we will consult with industries, industry bodies, and thought leaders to ensure we foster a favorable environment for investments and job creation for locals while addressing the needs of the global workforce,” the Congress leader said.

Karnataka is the 4th largest technology cluster in the world and are leaders in the country in many verticals.

We are No. 1 in India Innovation Index

1st in IT service exports

Top 3 in FDI inflows

We have 40% share in Electronics Design in India

In Machine Tools… https://t.co/Sh2fJkE5rG

— Priyank Kharge / ಪ್ರಿಯಾಂಕ್ ಖರ್ಗೆ (@PriyankKharge) July 17, 2024

Many other leading figures from the industry also spoke out against the Karnataka State Employment of Local Candidates in the Industries, Factories and Other Establishments Bill, 2024, which was approved by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah-led cabinet on Monday.

The bill requires firms in India’s IT capital to prioritise local hires for 70 per cent of non-management roles and 50 per cent of management-level jobs. The state government, however, paused the bill after backlash.

Row Over Karnataka’s Job Quota Bill

Former Infosys chief financial officer Mohandas Pai said the bill was “discriminatory” and “regressive”.

“This bill should be junked. It is discriminatory, regressive, and against the Constitution. This is a fascist bill as in Animal Farm,” he said on X.

The National Association of Software and Service Companies (NASSCOM) also expressed disappointment and concern over Karnataka’s new bill mandating reservation for locals in private sector jobs.

In a statement, it said, “Nasscom and its members are disappointed and express deep concern regarding the passage of the Karnataka State Employment of Local Industries Factories Establishment Act Bill, 2024.”

“Restrictions could force companies to relocate as local skilled talent becomes scarce,” it said.

Bengaluru:

Congress leader Priyank Kharge took offence at the BJP’s social media handle in the state referring to him as ‘dynast’, as he dared them to use the word on several of their leaders in Karnataka whose family members are in politics.

“Dear @BJP4Karnataka, If you have the courage, use and say the word DYNAST to @BSYBJP @BYRBJP @BYVijayendra @BSBommai @ikseshwarappa @Tejasvi_Surya @JagadishShettar @ShashikalaJolle @UmeshJadhav_BJP @BelladArvind among others in Karnataka. (The list is longer across India),” Mr Kharge said in a post on ‘X’ in the early hours of Sunday, tagging several BJP leaders who have a political lineage.

Dear @BJP4Karnataka,

If you have the courage, use and say the word DYNAST to @BSYBJP@BYRBJP@BYVijayendra@BSBommai@ikseshwarappa@Tejasvi_Surya@JagadishShettar@ShashikalaJolle@UmeshJadhav_BJP@BelladArvind among others in Karnataka.
(The list is longer across India)

Once… https://t.co/QdBOIpbY2z

— Priyank Kharge / ಪ್ರಿಯಾಂಕ್ ಖರ್ಗೆ (@PriyankKharge) March 16, 2024

Priyank, a member of the state cabinet, is the son of Congress national chief Mallikarjun Kharge. His political lineage gave the BJP an opportunity to target the Congress over dynastic politics.

Hitting back at the BJP, Mr Kharge even offered a free DNA test for all leaders in the Opposition party Karnataka who have members of their families in politics.

“Once again, I offer @BJP4India and @BJP4Karnataka leaders for a free DNA test at my expense, if you people are unsure of your origins. Don’t hesitate, let us rest this argument of “dynasty politics” once for all. It reflects extremely poorly on your BJP IT cell when they say we are dynasts and legitimate and the rest of you are not dynasts and are still legitimate or aren’t you legitimate?” Priyank posted from his X handle.

Earlier, on Saturday, BJP Karnataka responded to a statement by Priyank criticising the Election Commission for scheduling the Lok Sabha polls in seven phases.

“Mr Dynast @PriyankKharge, wipe your tears and bring in your ‘star campaigner’. Perhaps, he too can get ‘Maximum Mileage’ to get our narrative across the country. Hurry up, no more delays!” BJP Karnataka posted on X.

Speaking to ANI after the poll dates were notified on Saturday, “Just like the last time, the Election Commission seems to have announced the dates in a manner that enables PM Modi to extract the maximum mileage and peddle the party’s (BJP) narrative across states. The polling, as the EC announced, will be held in seven phases.”

Kharge junior claimed further that polling has been phased to ensure that the ruling BJP at the Centre gets more time to have their ‘star campaigner’ to travel across the length and breadth of the country more easily.

“…it is quite evident that this entire election process is to ensure that the BJP gets more time to have their star campaigner move around the country much more easily,” Priyank said.

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