MP’s poser to Karnataka Government : Why are you wasting money on iPhones to state MPs?

New Delhi: Questioning the Karnataka government's move to distribute iPhones to 40 MPs from the state, a BJP MP has returned the costly gadget and said the state should not waste public money when farmers and civic workers are in distress.

Asked about the issue on Tuesday, Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy, who was in the national capital, said that he was not aware of it. "I don't know about this issue. It is not in the knowledge of the (state) government. 

I don't know where the news has come from. I don't have information about that," he told reporters, adding he would collect the details from his office. 

Recently, the Karnataka government had given an iPhone, one leather bag and a folder along with the invitation requesting the state MPs to attend the meeting scheduled on July 18 at Karnataka Bhavan here. 

The issues to be discussed in the meeting include Cauvery river water sharing with Tamil Nadu and pending projects with central government. 

Accepting the invitation, BJP MP from Karnataka Rajiv Chandrashekar returned the "costly iPhone", saying that the government should use this money to pay salaries of civic workers in Bengaluru.