Leader of Opposition in the House R. Ashok on Thursday questioned the suitability of some Congress legislators embarking on foreign tours while the state budget is being prepared, suspecting that they are going abroad to participate in the leadership tussle in the Congress government. He urged UT spokesperson Khader to intervene and stop the tour.
Why not all parties?
Addressing a press conference in Bengaluru, Mr. Ashok referred to Animal Husbandry Minister K. Venkatesh taking a team of Congress legislators on a foreign trip. “When the legislators went on a foreign trip, there used to be members from all parties in the delegation. If the minister takes only some with him, how did the government allow it? The chairman should stop that,” he said.
He ridiculed the legislators’ statement that they were going on a study trip by bearing the cost themselves and questioned what kind of study was being done and why personal money was being spent on it. “If a study is done, a report must then be submitted to the government,” he said.
Suspecting that the foreign trip was related to leadership wrangling, Mr. Ashok alleged that Congress legislators were going on foreign trips for fun when government hospitals had no money even to buy medicines.
He alleged that the government was trying to cover up alleged corruption in the Excise Department. He questioned Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s silence even though the state government has not ordered any inquiry into the allegations.
Suresh’s statement
Mr. Ashok alleged that Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar’s brother DK Suresh has now raised the banner of rebellion when he said the Congress was giving power to those who “came from other parties”. The original members of Congress had lost their way, he said.
Published – 12 Feb 2026 20:07 IST