The animosity between the leaders dates back to 2005 when Siddaramaiah left the JD(S) after a public fallout with party supremo HD Deve Gowda and his son, vowing to destroy the “father-son party”
The ongoing political rivalry between Union minister HD Kumaraswamy and Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has escalated into a fierce battle for power and prestige in the state. It’s no longer just about their long-standing feud but has become a contest to dominate the state’s political landscape through allegations and counter-allegations.
Siddaramaiah recently accused the opposition BJP and JD(S) of unfairly targeting his family — especially his wife who has remained far from public life — in the Mysore Urban Development Authority (MUDA) case. This was immediately countered by Kumaraswamy, who claimed that Siddaramaiah’s wife’s name surfaced as a consequence of the chief minister’s own actions and he should not be blaming the Opposition.
Siddaramaiah, however, claimed that the Opposition could not bear to see someone from a backward class occupying the chief minister’s seat and it has been causing them major “heartburn”.
“They want to topple the Siddaramaiah government, and there’s only one reason behind it — that I belong to a backward community. That is causing them heartburn. Will you tolerate these actions?” Siddaramaiah asked during a recent Swabhimani Samavesha organised for the AHINDA communities, arguing that the Opposition has been trying to tarnish his image and drag his family into the controversy to unseat him.
However, Kumaraswamy was quick to respond. “You claim to work for the AHINDA people. What have you done for them? Haven’t we seen what happened in the Valmiki corporation scam and the looting that took place there?” He called the Congress government corrupt and a party that has mismanaged public funds in the name of welfare schemes.
Kumaraswamy also responded to Siddaramaiah’s statement about the Opposition being jealous and unnecessarily dragging his wife into the matter, saying: “It was you who brought your wife into focus, who has been living her life respectfully at home. You brought her out in the open, and this happened not because of her, but because of your own wrongdoings.”
A JD(S) leader said on the condition of anonymity: “Let’s be clear. Siddaramaiah is not the mass leader he claims to be. People have realised that they made a mistake by bringing him and the Congress to power. They only care about being in power, not empowering the people.”
The Union minister challenged Siddaramaiah to a debate comparing the achievements of the current Congress government with those during his tenure as chief minister in the JD(S)-Congress coalition government of 2018-19 to test who the people of Karnataka will support.
“Let him go to the people and ask them what they think of the governance they have received. He will get his answer,” the JD(S) leader said, adding that the people of Karnataka are deeply disillusioned with Siddaramaiah and the Congress.
The clash between the two leaders has been ongoing for decades. Though they did share power in a coalition government in 2018, that decision was made to keep the BJP out of power.
After the JDS aligned with the BJP in 2023 assembly polls and later the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, the former JDS chief minister was also awarded a ministerial post in the Union cabinet as part of the alliance. Since then, the clash of titans has been an ongoing optics battle in Karnataka.
Kumaraswamy had also earlier accused the ruling Congress in Karnataka of using threats and blackmail to tarnish his image, claiming they are dredging up old cases in the Supreme Court against him to destabilise him. He believes this is part of a strategy leading up to the by-elections in Channapatna, a stronghold of the Gowda family, which the Congress is determined to wrest control of. The JD(S) is reportedly planning to field Nikhil Kumaraswamy in the seat to regain control of the area.
A Congress leader said on the condition of anonymity: “This is all happening as part of a strategy by the BJP-JD(S) alliance to dethrone Siddaramaiah. They are planning to pit Nikhil Kumaraswamy in the Channapatna bypolls to regain their hold over the area. It’s a survival battle for the JD(S) within the BJP alliance as they face the threat of the JD(S) disintegrating.”
Kumaraswamy also accused the Congress of revisiting old cases to malign him and threaten him. “I am not afraid. That’s their dream. The high court dismissed the Janthakal mining issue and ordered the continuation of the Sai Venkateswara case. Who asked the government not to approach the Supreme Court?” he questioned.
He added: “I didn’t do anything wrong. When allegations were made against me, I faced them alone. I didn’t let others defend me. I faced kick-back allegations in the mining issue in 2006 without using ministers as a shield. The law will take its course and prove my innocence.”
Responding to claims that he and his father, former prime minister HD Deve Gowda, exerted pressure on the Centre to push central agencies to investigate Siddaramaiah. Kumaraswamy said: “Don’t we have any other work? Siddaramaiah is falling into a trap laid by his own party members.”
Referring indirectly to deputy chief minister DK Shivakumar as the ‘Bande’ or ‘rock’, he said Siddaramaiah faced danger from his own deputy.
Kumaraswamy criticised Siddaramaiah’s handling of the MUDA case, accusing him of using the Karnataka government to shield himself, claiming that he has “misused his powers” as chief minister. Kumaraswamy described the surrender of 14 sites by the chief minister’s wife as a diversionary tactic to shift focus from issues of corruption and mis-governance.
He also deemed the acceptance of his wife’s surrender of the 14 sites illegal and a destruction of evidence, calling for the commissioner’s arrest to prevent further tampering by “powerful forces” within the state government.
“He is the chief minister of the state. He has been misleading people, using his powerful office as protection for his illegal activities,” Kumaraswamy alleged.
The JD(S) has demanded a CBI investigation, with Kumaraswamy accusing state officials of working under the government’s influence to destroy evidence. He also demanded that Siddaramaiah step down, warning that the chief minister would otherwise close the case by misusing his office.
Kumaraswamy further accused the Congress of reopening old cases to damage his image. Referring to a preliminary report by senior IFS officer UV Singh, which named three former chief ministers — SM Krishna, the late N Dharam Singh, and himself — he noted that no penalties had been recommended, leaving the matter to the government’s discretion.
“The difference between me and Siddaramaiah is that I have only taken bail and have not interfered in the investigation process. He has. That’s the difference between us,” he said.
Hitting back, Siddaramaiah said his government would not hesitate to arrest Kumaraswamy if warranted. A Lokayukta probe is currently being conducted against him for allegedly illegally renewing a mining lease in 2007 when he was chief minister.
“I am not scared,” said Kumaraswamy, reiterating that the Lokayukta SIT probing the case had not yet submitted its report to the Supreme Court, which is overseeing illegal mining cases. “What is the meaning of rushing this now? If they intend to scare me, I won’t be scared,” Kumaraswamy told the media.
Siddaramaiah, on the other hand, dismissed the accusations and clarified that his government would not hesitate to arrest Kumaraswamy, if necessary. The Lokayukta probe into the alleged illegal mining lease renewal by Kumaraswamy in 2007 is still underway.
Regarding the sanction sought to prosecute Kumaraswamy, Siddaramaiah said: “The sanction was given, but the governor is yet to act in Kumaraswamy’s case. Isn’t that biased? If the situation warrants his [Kumaraswamy’s] arrest, we will do so without hesitation. He is now scared that the governor will accord sanction.”
To this, Kumaraswamy retorted, “It would take a hundred Siddaramaiahs to arrest me.” In response, the chief minister said: “It’s not 100 Siddaramaiahs. One constable will be enough to arrest Kumaraswamy.”
The chief minister also accused Kumaraswamy of making allegations without pursuing them to their “logical end” and dismissed him as a “hit-and-run swamy”.
The old rivalry between Kumaraswamy and Siddaramaiah continues to play a significant role in this political battle. The animosity between the leaders dates back to 2005 when Siddaramaiah left the JD(S) after a public fallout with party supremo HD Deve Gowda and his son, vowing to destroy the “father-son party”. Consequently, as politics would have it, Deve Gowda and Kumaraswamy decided to join hands with the BJP in the 2023 assembly polls and 2024 Lok Sabha polls to destroy the Congress. Gowda claimed Congress was out to destroy him and his family, which indirectly pointed to Siddaramaiah and DK Shivakumar.
Although Siddaramaiah maintained a cordial relationship with Deve Gowda during their power-sharing arrangement aimed at keeping the BJP at bay, political differences eventually led to the collapse of the coalition, which had even threatened both the Congress and JD(S)’s prospects in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. This time, however, the conflict is more intense, with Kumaraswamy aligning with the BJP and being propped up as a Union minister in the Modi government.
In 2019, in Mandya, the traditional stronghold of the Gowda family, Kumaraswamy had nominated his son Nikhil as the JD(S) candidate. This move sparked unrest within the Congress and discomfort in the JD(S) camp. Although Siddaramaiah publicly supported Nikhil’s candidacy to uphold the coalition “dharma”, he did not actively campaign for him in Mandya, instead focusing his support on Kumaraswamy’s brother HD Revanna and his son’s political debut in Hassan. Siddaramaiah was still upset over his defeat in Chamundeshwari during the 2018 election, which he attributed to the combined effort of the BJP and JDS to ensure his loss.
