HD Kumaraswamy pulls out a pen drive, tells he will expose Congress govt's corruption

Ex Karnataka chief minister HD Kumaraswamy on Wednesday accused the Congress of corruption and brandished a pen drive he claimed had evidence of the ruling party's transgressions and that a 'responsible minister in the current cabinet' is involved.

The Janata Dal (Secular) boss - who was left high and dry after talking up the JDS as a potential 'kingmaker' after the May election (a prospect rendered moot by the Congress' dominant showing) and has since teased an alliance with the Bharatiya Janata Party for next year's Lok Sabha election - declared he would release the 'evidence' at the 'right time'.

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"I am roaming with a pen drive in my pocket which has an evidence of Congress government's corruption in the state. I will release it when the right time comes and I will not release it without any solid information. A responsible minister in the current cabinet is involved in corruption during the transfers of employees in the department," he told reporters.

Kumaraswamy claimed ₹10 crore is being charged for each transfer in the state's energy department and that one of the transferred officers earns a staggering ₹50 lakh per day.

"I have a proof and I will not speak without it."

Congress' allegations

The Congress on Tuesday had attacked Kumaraswamy for retaining a luxury suite at the uber-expensive Taj West End in Bengaluru. "How much is a day's rent at the West End Hotel?... How many crores have you poured into a permanent establishment? Plowing the land and paying the rent for a West End hotel? Or using 'KST' collection money?" the party tweeted.

Kumaraswamy first rented the suite in 2018, after he became chief minister of a JDS-Congress coalition government that disintegrated after over a dozen rebel lawmakers joined the BJP.

Responding to the Congress' allegations, Kumaraswamy said, "It is true that I have been staying at the hotel for a while now. Did the Congress receive tariff bills? Why are they bothered? We are hard earned people and I do not need to answer anyone."

In 2019 Kumaraswamy said he retains the room because he believes it is 'lucky' for him.

"Yes, it's true that I have retained a room at Taj West End. I don't do any business there... but when last year's election results (the 2018 poll) came out and the Congress asked me to become the CM, I was in that room. I retained it because I thought it was lucky."