Kumaraswamy slams CM on expenditure

Former Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy on November 12 alleged that ₹1.90 crore was spent to refurbish furniture at the Chief Minister’s residence, Cauvery, while ₹ 3 crore was spent on the auditorium. “The Chief Minister has made extravagant expenditure in the time of drought. Is he a socialist,” Mr. Kumaraswamy asked.

The Chief Minister is leading an extravagant lifestyle when the State is reeling under drought and facing severe power shortage, he told presspersons in Bengaluru on November 12.

He alleged that a new conference hall was built at the Chief Minister’s residence for which ₹3 crore tax payer’s money had been spent. Besides, he said, ₹1.90 crore was spent on expensive foreign brand sofa set and cot. “Government has not met this expenditure. Then who has paid for this? Can someone using this expensive furniture (claim to) be a socialist?”

Mr. Kumaraswamy said: “As per the information that I have received, this expenditure has been picked from someone known to a Minister. It looks like an updated version of the Hublot watch.”

He said that the government is spending money on buying cars and decorating the Ministers’ bunglows instead of spending on drought management. “Government does not have money to help the poor farmers, but it has money to spend ₹10 crore on refurbishing the Ministers’ bunglows. “During my tenures as Chief Minister, I never allowed such expenditure.”