All discussions on modalities of the government formation under the Congress–JD(S) coalition — including the issue of whether the JD(S) will have the Chief Minister’s post for all five years — will be taken up after the floor test on Friday, said KPCC president and Deputy Chief Minister G. Parameshwara on Thursday. He exuded confidence that the coalition is here to stay.
At a press conference at the KPCC office here, he dismissed doubts over the longevity of the coalition, and said, “Under no circumstance will we allow the alliance to break. Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy has also said this and I endorse his statement.”
Common programme
“It is true that we had different agendas and manifestos before the elections. But soon a coordination committee will be formed to ensure smooth running of the government based on a common minimum programme. The committee will work out a formula to prioritise and select important promises made by the two parties and implement them in a time-bound manner,” he said.
Dr. Parameshwara said the coordination committee would monitor the common minimum programme but would not interfere in day-to-day administration affairs.
He said the Congress had not been defeated in this elections, and added, “Although we have secured fewer seats — 78 as against 122 in 2013, our vote share is higher than that of the BJP’s.”
He dismissed reports about differences within the party over selection of Ministers. “There is nothing wrong in our MLAs asking for posts. We have a lot of eligible leaders in our party. We are proud that we have created such leaders and they are our asset. Our high command will decide how to place them in the coalition after Friday’s floor test.”
Asked how significant his role will be as the Deputy Chief Minister in the coalition, he said, “I’m not just a Deputy Chief Minister. I also represent the Congress in the coalition. I will definitely have an important role to play.”
Shivakumar’s role
On whether he will continue as the KPCC president, especially with speculation rife over D.K. Shivakumar being considered for the post, he said it was up to the central leadership. “But in the wake of the 2019 elections, the party needs a full-time president and I will be happy if he is made the president.”
