Bengaluru, August 2026 : Union Minister for Heavy Industries and Steel H.D. Kumaraswamy on Sunday launched a sharp attack on the Congress government in Karnataka over alleged irregularities in recruitments conducted by the Karnataka Public Service Commission (KPSC), questioning Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi’s silence on the controversy.
Kumaraswamy’s remarks came amid the arrest of IAS officer Gyanendra Kumar in connection with the alleged KPSC recruitment scam. The officer, who served as the commission’s Controller of Examinations, was arrested by the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) following two days of questioning and subsequently remanded to judicial custody.
Addressing reporters at the Janata Dal-Secular headquarters, J.P. Bhavan, in Bengaluru, Kumaraswamy directly challenged Rahul Gandhi to visit the state and meet candidates who have allegedly been affected by irregularities in the recruitment process.
“Rahul Gandhi ji, where are you? Your KPSC is rotting. You travel across the country engaging with students and youngsters. When will you come to Bengaluru and hold talks with the victims of the KPSC irregularities?” Kumaraswamy said.
The Union Minister questioned the Congress government’s commitment to reforming and cleaning up the state’s recruitment system. He also targeted Karnataka Home Minister Priyank Kharge, accusing him of focusing on issues outside his department while allegedly failing to address problems within the state’s recruitment machinery.
“Karnataka Home Minister Priyank Kharge speaks about the RSS every morning, but apparently cannot spot the mess in his own department,” Kumaraswamy said. He alleged that candidates who were not deserving of selection had been appointed through compromised examinations and questioned whether the Congress government was capable of restoring credibility to the KPSC recruitment process.
Kumaraswamy also alleged that the state government had previously appointed a person with a controversial record at the Bengaluru Development Authority (BDA) as KPSC Chairman in the name of administrative reform.
“You once claimed that you would clean up the system and then brought a person who had already faced allegations of wrongdoing in BDA and made him the KPSC Chairman,” he alleged.
He further claimed that during the chairman’s tenure, government posts were allegedly being offered for large sums of money. Referring to the Karnataka government’s plans to fill around 75,000 government vacancies, Kumaraswamy questioned whether the recruitment process for those positions would also face similar allegations of irregularities.
The Union Minister repeatedly urged Rahul Gandhi to come to Bengaluru and engage directly with young people affected by the KPSC controversy.
“Where is Rahul Gandhi? Bring him to Bengaluru once. Let him sit with the youngsters and engage with them on KPSC. Then the truth will come out,” he said.
Kumaraswamy also alleged irregularities in the recruitment of Assistant Executive Engineers (Grade I) in the Rural Development and Panchayat Raj Department. He accused the state government of remaining silent on the allegations and said the issue was deeply concerning for job aspirants.
“It is painful to even speak about the irregularities that have taken place during your government. You are afraid to even open your mouth about the alleged irregularities in the recruitment of Assistant Executive Engineers-Grade I,” he said.
The Union Minister further alleged that question papers were taken to resorts and handed over to candidates who had allegedly paid money. He claimed that such candidates were subsequently trained on how to write the answers.
“Question papers were allegedly taken to resorts and given to candidates who paid money. They were even trained on how to write the answers,” Kumaraswamy alleged.
The allegations have added a political dimension to the ongoing investigation into the KPSC recruitment controversy. The CID is probing alleged manipulation of examination processes and other irregularities, while Kumaraswamy has sought greater accountability from the state government.
He again challenged Rahul Gandhi to visit Bengaluru, meet affected candidates and discuss the allegations directly with them, arguing that such an interaction would help bring greater attention to the concerns of thousands of government job aspirants in Karnataka.
