Hans News Service Bengaluru

A fresh political war of words has erupted in Karnataka with JD(S) youth wing president Nikhil Kumaraswamy launching a sharp attack on Deputy Chief Minister D. K. Shivakumar while sarcastically referring to the so-called “Cockroach Janata Party” (CJP), a phrase currently making rounds in political discussions. Speaking to reporters, Nikhil Kumaraswamy mocked DK Shivakumar and challenged him to prove his political strength by leading the “CJP” in Karnataka and winning 50 Assembly seats in the 2028 elections.

“I am not forcing DK Shivakumar to float a regional party. But a new party called Cockroach Party has emerged in the country. Let DK Shivakumar become the state president of that party and win 50 seats in Karnataka,” Nikhil said sarcastically.

The JD(S) leader accused DK Shivakumar of repeatedly mocking regional parties, particularly the Janata Dal (Secular), over its electoral strength. “Whenever DK Shivakumar speaks, he ridicules JD(S) saying the party has only 17 seats or one seat. He does not understand the struggles of regional parties. If he is so confident, let him contest under the CJP banner and show his strength,” he said.

Nikhil’s remarks came in response to statements made by DK Shivakumar during a recent Congress convention in Tumakuru, where the Deputy CM had reportedly mocked former Chief Minister H. D. Kumaraswamy for aspiring to become Chief Minister despite the party’s reduced numbers in the Assembly.

Taking the attack further, Nikhil also took a swipe at Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, saying, “Standing at Freedom Park, Siddaramaiah may even release a T-shirt saying ‘I am a cockroach’. Looking at the current state of Congress in Karnataka itself is worrying.”

Responding to DK Shivakumar’s earlier remark questioning “Who is Nikhil Kumaraswamy to question me?, the JD(S) youth leader said he had every right to question the government as a citizen of Karnataka. “I am a son of Karnataka soil. I have pride in the state’s language, land and water. I pay taxes to this government, and therefore I have every right to question it,” he asserted.

Nikhil further said that the people of Karnataka had given Congress 136 seats and the opportunity to form the government by making Siddaramaiah Chief Minister and DK Shivakumar Deputy Chief Minister. “I will continue to raise my voice on behalf of ordinary people of the state. Nobody can stop me,” he added.The exchange marks yet another escalation in the growing political confrontation between Congress and JD(S) leaders ahead of future electoral battles in Karnataka.