Levelling fresh charges againstChief Minister Siddaramaiah on Karnataka Public Service Commission scandal, JDS leader H D Kumaraswamy today alleged he had sent as many as 1,600 recommendation letters to KPSC members during his tenures as Deputy Chief Minister.
In the continuing war of words between them, Kumaraswamy said "....When you (Siddaramaiah) were Deputy Chief Minister from J H Patel Government to Dharm Singh Governments, how manyletters you have written to KPSC members, should I releasethem?; About 1,600 recommendations were made asking such and such a person should be appointed."
"Should I release the details of about 1600 recommendations made by you for appointment?" Kumaraswamy questioned at a press conference here, days after he accused Siddaramaiah of trying to influence the KPSC recruitment process by making phone calls 72 times to a Commission member.
Siddaramaiah had hit back at Kumaraswamy, calling him a "big liar".
The state cabinet on August 7 had scrapped the 2011 provisional list of gazetted probationary officers for group A and B services and ordered re-examination, after a Criminal Investigation Department reported large scale malpractices.
The issue has turned into a major political row with bothSiddaramaiah and Kumaraswamy, who has taken up the cudgels for the selected candidates, sniping at each other.
Siddaramaiah has defended the cabinet decision, saying Kumaraswamy has been claiming that he is fighting corruption, but is siding with protesters against government's decision to reject the list after finding irregularities in the KPSC recruitment process.
