Union Minister for Heavy Industries and Steel HD Kumaraswamy on Friday reacted strongly to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s reported remarks on family politics involving former Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda’s family, saying the Chief Minister has no moral authority to speak on the issue.
After Mr. Siddaramaiah’s elder son died untimely, which is unfortunate, Mr. Kumaraswamy questioned why his younger son, a doctor, was being pushed into politics – public service or otherwise.
“political action”
Taking questions from reporters from nearby Pandavapura, the Union minister alleged that Mr. Siddaramaiah’s son was involved in “political dealings” instead of solving people’s problems.
He pointed out that family members of the deputy minister are also involved in politics. Similarly, there were several families with two or three family members who were legislators.
Unlike other political families, Mr. Kumaraswamy claimed that Mr. Gowda did not encourage his family members to enter politics. He claimed that the former prime minister even opposed his decision to contest his first Lok Sabha election and suggested that the Congress nominate senior leader Mallikarjun Kharge in his place after a fragmented mandate in the 2018 assembly elections.
‘Permanent CM’
Talking about Mr. Siddaramaiah’s tenure, Mr. Kumaraswamy said that the Chief Minister intends to remain in office “permanently”.
Mr. Kumaraswamy said that Mr. Siddaramaiah does not plan to remain as chief minister only for the remainder of the current term but intends to return to the post after the next parliamentary elections in 2028.
Referring to Mr. Siddaramaiah’s recent statement that he would stay in politics till his last breath, the JD(S) leader recalled Mr. Siddaramaiah’s reported statement in the legislature that he would quit electoral politics after the 2013 assembly elections. “After experiencing power, he now wants to remain chief minister permanently,” Kumaraswamy noted.
He said that the results of the by-polls in Davangere South and Bagalkot assembly constituencies will go either way according to media reports, but people’s opinion of the Congress government will be known only during the next assembly elections.
Published – 03 Apr 2026 20:30 IST
