Bengaluru: The Karnataka Congress government, instead of focusing on development, seems to be caught up in controversies. The question now troubling political circles is whether Minister Priyank Kharge is deliberately chasing controversies. Recently, the Congress government faced significant backlash and embarrassment over its attempt to ban the RSS. Now, Kharge has stirred further controversy by tweeting about an alleged past conversation between the late Ananthakumar and former Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa.

In his tweet, Kharge referenced an audio clip, questioning if people remembered BJP leaders discussing giving ₹1,800 crore to the BJP high command. In response, Aishwarya Ananthakumar, daughter of the late BJP leader Ananthakumar, hit back sharply. She highlighted that even Congress acknowledged her father’s contributions to Karnataka. She retorted, “Do you recall the diary of your party’s MLC caught giving bribes? Shall we remind you?” in a scathing tweet.What Happened Earlier?In 2016, during an Income Tax raid, a diary was seized from the residence of Congress MLC K. Govindaraju.Also Read: "Tejasvi Surya, the Amavasya, hasn't brought funds from the Centre either": CM Siddaramaiah

The BJP alleged that the diary contained details of ₹1,000 crore in kickbacks related to a steel flyover project. It was claimed that the diary mentioned payments of ₹5-6 crore to SG (Sonia Gandhi), RG (Rahul Gandhi?), AICC, and other Congress high command members, allegedly sourced from CM Siddaramaiah’s associates, as accused by BJP leaders Yediyurappa and Jagadish Shettar.Congress’s Response: Congress dismissed the diary as fake. They later released a “new diary” accusing BJP leaders of receiving kickbacks.

The issue caused an uproar in the Assembly, but like the Sahara diaries, the court ruled it was not admissible evidence. It was seen as a pre-election political maneuver.Aishwarya’s ChallengeAishwarya highlighted Ananthakumar’s remarkable political achievements:Ananthakumar, a senior BJP leader, was elected MP from Bengaluru South six times. His contributions include:

• As Karnataka BJP president in 2003, he led the party to become the largest in the Assembly. In 2004, the BJP won the most Lok Sabha seats in Karnataka.Vogaan Men's T-Shirt and Shorts Set | Top & Shorts Night Suits Set | Night Wear for Men

• Nationally, he advocated for Karnataka’s issues and supported state representatives. As a Union Minister (Chemicals & Fertilizers, Parliamentary Affairs), he reduced the cost of cardiac stents, benefiting millions of patients.

• Through the Adamya Chetana Foundation, established in memory of his mother Girija Shastri, he drove initiatives in education, health, and environmental conservation. His “Green Bengaluru 1:1” project played a key role in greening Bengaluru.