The JD(S)-Congres coalition in the state of Karnataka seems to be going through a rough patch. As per an India Today report, Karnataka Home Minister, MP Patil, joined the chorus of the Congress leaders demanding Siddaramaiah be given another term as the Chief Minister of the state. However, the former Karnataka Chief Minister has dismissed the rumours and denied any such intention.
Siddaramaiah stated, “They keep giving me suggestions. The seat is not empty, Kumaraswamy is there, how can I become the chief minister.” Patil also clarified that the present coalition under Kumaraswamy would complete its full term. He said, “Siddaramaiah has done a good job and deserves one more term but it is the decision of the people and we need to agree. It is when we come to power on our own strength but that question does not arise now. Thus the coalition will continue for five years.” He also went on to praise Siddaramaiah and said, “People now understand that the last five years were good with welfare schemes and projects.” Earlier Congress MLA, Sudhakar had stated that it would be good if Siddaramaiah became the Karnataka CM again.
JD(S) obviously did not appear very comfortable with the stand taken by the Congress leaders. Tanveer Ahmed, JD(S) spokesperson said, “I am sure MB Patil would have a lot of respect for Siddaramaiah and his governance. He is free to voice his aspirations but right now in the numbers game, Kumaraswamy is the CM and he would continue to be so.”
The BJP, on the other hand, is looking closely at how things are panning out with the unholy alliance between the Congress and the JD(S). S Prakash, BJP state spokesperson said, “They are directly insulting the present CM HD Kumaraswamy. They do not give him any respect. This is what the Congress did to Manmohan Singh when they demanded that Rahul Gandhi be made the PM during the UPA regime.” The BJP has blamed Siddaramaiah for orchestrating chaos in the coalition government. The party has alleged that whenever there is a crisis in the coalition government, the former Karnataka CM is the man behind it.
Even though Siddaramaiah has denied the proposal, these are not welcome signs for the unholy alliance. The JD(S) and the Congress had entered into an alliance despite BJP being the largest party in the state and falling just a few seats short of the full majority mark. Such an unholy alliance was, therefore, bound to meet such a fate. The coalition seems to be in a crisis, it remains to be seen how much longer it can survive from here.