Protocol row: Kumaraswamy refused to use ex-MP’s car, says Karnataka govt

Bengaluru, Jan 6
The Karnataka government on Monday dismissed Union Minister for Heavy Industries and Steel H. D. Kumaraswamy's objections on the issue of protocol violation.

Kumaraswamy had expressed his displeasure after he was not provided with the official vehicle and was asked to use former MP Sumalatha Ambareesh’s car.

State Minister for Agriculture N. Chaluvarayaswamy, said on Monday that the Congress government finds it hard to believe Kumaraswamy's allegations. “Kumaraswamy refused to use the car of former Mandya MP Sumalatha Ambareesh. What can we do? We don’t understand why Kumaraswamy is unwilling to use the vehicle which was used by former MP and senior BJP leader Sumalatha Ambareesh,” the minister said.

“We have never refused to provide a car to Kumaraswamy. He himself rejected the vehicle offered by the government,” Chaluvarayaswamy claimed.

The state Minister further explained, “It took us a year to get a new car. I used the old vehicle utilized by the former minister until I got the new one. When I was an MP, I used the car that had been used by the late former MP Ambareesh. Later, I received a new car. It is customary to provide the old car to the new MP initially, and subsequently, the cabinet grants approval for new vehicles.”

Speaking to the media in Mandya on Saturday, Union Minister Kumaraswamy stated, "The state government has not provided a car till now. As a result, I am travelling in a vehicle assigned to the Central government, which I received from the Heavy Industries Department."

When asked whether he felt neglected by the state government, Kumaraswamy replied that the Congress-led Karnataka government should address the issue.

Sumalatha Ambareesh, a senior BJP leader, previously represented the Mandya Lok Sabha seat, which is now held by Union Minister Kumaraswamy. Sumalatha had registered a resounding victory against Kumaraswamy’s son, Nikhil Kumaraswamy, in the 2019 elections.

Minister Chaluvarayaswamy was earlier the right-hand man of former CM Kumaraswamy. However, he quit the JD(S) party and joined the Congress party questioning the dominance of former PM H.D. Deve Gowda's family members.