Bengaluru: Karnataka Home Minister Priyank Kharge on Monday alleged that a union minister was pressurising the central government for IT and ED action against him and his Cabinet colleagues.

Without naming the union minister, he said the former was using the ongoing probe into the alleged irregularities in the Karnataka Public Service Commission (KPSC) recruitment process as a "political cover" to seek action against him and other state ministers.

"Whispers in Delhi's corridors of power are that a union minister is desperately pressuring Modi Sarkar to weaponise the IT and ED against my Cabinet colleagues and me, using the KPSC investigation as political cover," Kharge said in a post on 'X'.

He said, "The RSS's newest Group D recruit is also reportedly attempting to use the ED to pressure all accused to falsely implicate Congress leaders and me in the KPSC recruitment case."

"It appears the extremely hard-working hon'ble minister is not prepared to go down alone. In his desperation, he seems determined to drag his own coalition partners down with him," he said.

Though Kharge has not named anyone in his post, his allegation seems directed at the BJP's coalition partner -- JD(S)' top leader and Union Minister H D Kumaraswamy, party sources said.

Kharge and Kumaraswamy are involved in a political slugfest concerning alleged irregularities in the KPSC recruitment process and a "sting operation" targeting former Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah.