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The Janata Dal Secular (JDS)-Congress coalition government in Karnataka has initiated moves to stick together despite the severe drubbing it got in the Lok Sabha elections.
The move comes after the JDS got a guidance from the Congress’ central leadership not to take any drastic decisions in the wake of the shoddy performance.
In the recently concluded Lok Sabha elections, the JDS and Congress got one seat each, while the BJP swept the State with 25 seats out of 28.
‘We will survive’
Former Chief Minister and senior Congress leader Siddaramaiah, who is to attend a Congress Working Committee (CWC) meet in Delhi on Saturday, told reporters: “This government will survive. I am telling you, it will survive 100 per cent. The Parliamentary election results will not affect the coalition. There are no doubts about it.”
On Friday, Congress Cabinet ministers and a few senior leaders met for breakfast at Deputy Chief Minister G Parameshwara’s house.
Later, all the Congress ministers attended an ‘informal Cabinet meet’ called by Karnataka Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy to take stock of the post-poll scenario.
Briefing reporters after the meet, Parameshwara said: “The Council of Ministers, which met here on Friday, has reposed faith and confidence in the leadership of Kumaraswamy.”
He said that at the meeting, the results of the Lok Sabha polls on the whole, and in Karnataka in particular, were discussed and analysed in detail. The Cabinet unanimously opined that this is the mandate for the Union government and not for the State government.
“MLAs of both the coalition parties have rallied behind the coalition government and there is no threat to its stability or dissidence creeping in,” he added.
Accusing the BJP of trying to destabilise the government, Parameshwara said the ruling coalition would not allow it to succeed.
A grandson’s offer
Earlier in the day, there was confusion in the party when Prajwal Revanna (son of Karnataka minister HD Revanna), newly elected JDS MP from Hassan, offered to resign his seat to get his grandfather HD Deve Gowda re-elected. The party is likely to discuss the issue.
On its part, the JDS, too, called its own Legislature Party meet at its party office to take stock of the poll debacle.
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