Bengaluru: Karnataka Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy continued to hit out at his coalition partner Congress on day three. While addressing JDS party workers meet at Bengaluru Palace Grounds, he said, “My family has a history of leaving prime ministerial post without a second thought. Do you (people of Karnataka) think I am obsessed with chief minister’s chair?”
This all started when Congress lawmaker and Bengaluru Development Authority chairman, ST Somashekhar, took a jibe at Kumaraswamy on Sunday, saying it is former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah who is “Namma CM (our chief minister).” Accusing Kumaraswamy of not focusing on developmental work in Bengaluru, Somashekhar said: “Siddaramaiah is still our CM and will continue to be.”
The next day, Kumaraswamy warned the Congress of resigning from the CM post if its leaders continued to make false allegations or embarrassed his party leaders. He even hinted that the JDS may have to break the coalition with Congress. Soon after, the Congress made Somashekhar apologise for his comments.
But the Karnataka chief minister seems determined to prove that he is the boss of the coalition government. Launching an indirect attack on Somashekhar, he said, “Some MLAs are speaking against me. We are clearing farm loan waiver. I am an emotional human being and I cried after resuming office. I am not really obsessed with the CM post, but I am continuing in office only because I want to do something for the society and the people of Karnataka.”
But before Kumaraswamy, it was his father, former Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda, who took potshots at the Congress. “We have completed seven months of coalition government. The people of the country will witness what will happen in the future. We have never crossed our limits, but the Congress leaders are crossing theirs. If they continue to do so, I will not sit quiet,” he said.
Gowda, Siddaramaiah's one-time mentor, said Kumaraswamy was Congress’s CM choice and not Siddaramaiah.
“Siddaramaiah was chief minister for five years. We did not make any comments on his governance. While forming the government, he came to me and asked me to convince Sonia Gandhi to make him the chief minister again in the coalition. But Kumaraswamy was the choice of Congress.”
“Congress leaders are making vague statements against our party and CM Kumaraswamy. If it continues anything may happen,” Gowda said.
Some political pundits are of the opinion that Gowda and Kumaraswamy are threatening the Congress because they want more seat sharing in the Lok Sabha elections. Others say the threat is meant to intimidate Siddaramaiah. Whatever be the case, it seems that camaraderie of the Karnataka coalition partners is at stake and the test of keeping the government intact has begun.
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