Bengaluru, Nov 29 (AHN) Union Minister for Heavy Industries and Steel H.D. Kumaraswamy on Saturday levelled sharp criticism at Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, saying incidents involving policemen in serious crimes seemed to recur whenever he was in power. He was responding to media queries after the NDA coordination committee meeting in Bengaluru.

"Whenever Siddaramaiah becomes Chief Minister, some police personnel themselves get involved in theft and criminal activities. During his earlier five-year term, cash was looted from a bus in Bilkere near Mysuru. A police officer was involved. Recently, in the ATM cash-van robbery case too, a policeman was involved," he said.

He also criticised conditions in the Bengaluru Central Prison.

"Everyone knows what goes on in Parappana Agrahara. Even smartphones reach terrorists. Another minister recently visited the prison -- after his visit, a distillery operating inside the jail was uncovered. What did he go there to check?" he said, referring to Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar's visit.

Reacting to the Chief Minister’s remark that BJP and JD(S) were lying, he said Siddaramaiah acted as though "he alone is a Sathya Harishchandra".

Kumaraswamy cautioned against provoking caste or religious tensions, saying statements by community seers were their personal opinions.

"There should be no religious conflict," he said, adding that both NDA partners would jointly raise issues of North Karnataka in the Belagavi session beginning December 8.

He cited flood-hit districts and the government's alleged indifference.

"People have lost property and homes. The state government has not come to their aid. It only keeps blaming the Centre,” he claimed, adding that BJP–JD(S) MLAs would oppose the decision not to release Tungabhadra water for the second crop.

On the leadership tussle within the Congress, he said seers should not intervene. “Politicians may engage in politics, but pontiffs must give up the obsession of expressing opinions in favour of one individual or another,” he said. He stressed that misusing caste or religious institutions "brings no dignity".

He warned that large-scale caste politics would hurt the state.

"This is not merely Congress’s embarrassment -- it is Karnataka's embarrassment," he said.

Accusing the government of failing to meet expectations despite winning 140 seats, he said, “They are only fighting for the chair. In my view, there is no need to even discuss this government.”