Ugrappa asks HDK to 'shun politics of hate'

The Congress has taken exception to the allegation made by Janata Dal (Secular) (JD-S) leader H D Kumaraswamy that Chief Minister Siddaramaiah was selectively removing bureaucrats belonging to the Vokkaliga community from key positions.

The party’s leader, V S Ugrappa, asked Kumaraswamy to shun the politics of hatred and refuted his allegation that Vokkaliga officers were being “targeted”.

“Being the Leader of Opposition, Kumaraswamy should raise the issues of maladministration instead of indulging in politics of hatred,” Ugrappa told reporters here on Tuesday.

“When his father H D Deve Gowda was the Leader of Opposition, he would prick the bubble of development. Kumaraswamy should seek to emulate him,” he stated.

The allegation by Kumaraswamy led to a controversy and a war of words between the leaders of the two communities.

The Karnataka Pradesh Kurubara Sangha (KPKS) also flayed Kumaraswamy’s statement, reminding him that he owed a lot to the community which helped him become the chief minister.

“When Deve Gowda formed the JD (S) after splitting the Janata Dal, Siddaramaiah stood by him. As a result, the JD (S) grew in strength and Kumaraswamy later became the chief minister,” the KPKS general secretary K Ramachandrappa told journalists.