Another political row erupted in Karnataka after the aides of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and his deputy DK Shivakumar clashed with each other at the Karnataka Bhawan in New Delhi. The incident took place on July 22, and it involved C Mohan Kumar, Assistant Resident Commissioner and Special Duty Officer (SDO) to Siddaramaiah, and H Anjaneya, SDO to DK Shivakumar.
What had happened?
According to Anjaneya, Kumar had threatened to hit him with a shoe. The incident, Anjaneya said in his formal complaint registered with the Chief Secretary to the Government of Karnataka, happened in the presence of all other staff members, including a senior official named Prameela, at the Karnataka Bhawan. Demanding a departmental inquiry against Kumar, Anjaneya said he had also requested a transfer to avoid such conflicts.
"From the day he assumed office as Assistant Resident Commissioner, Mohan has been obstructing duties. In his office, he threatened to take off his shoes and beat me (Anjaneya). Mohan had come to beat me in front of everyone in the office premises. Mohan is responsible if there is any accident," he said in his complaint, as reported by news agency ANI.
"Even though he is senior in service, he has been preventing me from performing my duties. Therefore, the departmental inquiry should be held into his promotion and should also inquire into the fact that my dignity has been lost," he noted.
What did Kumar say?
Kumar, however, has denied the allegations, saying he did not threaten to hit Anjaneya with his shoes. He also claimed that Anjaneya used to misbehave with ladies at the Karnataka Bhawan, who have also complained about this to the Women's Commission.
"Anjaneya had come to the office earlier. He sarcastically said something inappropriate," Kumar told ANI. "I didn't notice because I was on a phone call. He left. An office staff brought the matter to my notice. Later, I called Anjaneya and asked for an explanation."
BJP slams Congress
The issue has now reached Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar. Earlier, Siddaramaiah was asked about the clash, and he had said that he would review it. Meanwhile, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has seized the opportunity and launched a fresh attack on Congress, saying the camps of Shivakumar and Siddaramaiah "are tearing into each other settling scores round after round", but the Congress high command is sitting "helplessly in Delhi leaving Karnataka leaderless and adrift".
"AICC Chief @kharge and @RahulGandhi have completely lost control over Karnataka. The public slugfest between CM @siddaramaiah and DCM @DKShivakumar has crossed every limit - from backroom politics to open threats in Karnataka Bhavan, Delhi. If this is the state of governance, how can anyone trust @INCKarnataka to run the state? This power struggle isn’t just embarrassing, it’s dangerous," posted BJP leader R Ashoka on 'X'.
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