Former Minister and JD(S) MLA representing Chamundeshwari Assembly constituency G.T. Deve Gowda on Sunday said former Chief Ministers H.D. Kumaraswamy and Siddaramaiah did not do enough to save the coalition government from collapsing.
Speaking to reporters here, Mr. Gowda said Mr. Kumaraswamy had himself confessed that he was not in favour of the coalition government that he was heading and had let it go. “So, he had remained in the United States, where he was on a tour, even when the coalition MLAs were resigning,” he said.
On the other hand, Mr. Siddaramaiah also did not make an honest effort to save the Congress-JD(S) coalition.
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MLAs resign
The MLAs, who were unable to get their work done and disenchanted with the coalition government, decided to resign. But, neither did Mr. Siddaramaiah make an effort to retain them nor did Mr. Kumaraswamy. “If the two leaders had prevented them, why would they have gone?” Mr. Gowda asked.
Reacting to Mr. Kumaraswamy’s charge that Mr. Siddaramaiah was opposed to the coalition government headed by him, Mr. Gowda said the Congress leader abided by the party High Command’s decision to have an alliance with the JD(S) and make Mr. Kumaraswamy Chief Minister even though he was not in favour of the coalition.
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When his attention was drawn to Mr. Kumaraswamy running the government from a star hotel, Mr. Gowda said Mr. Kumaraswamy considered his room in the star hotel “auspicious” as he received the call to become the Chief Minister of the JD(S)-Congress coalition government when he was in the hotel room.
Merger with BJP
Fielding reporters’ queries on the speculation over JD(S)’ merger with the BJP, Mr. Gowda said it will not happen as long as former Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda permits it.
“As long as Mr. Deve Gowda is there, the JD(S) will not merge with the BJP,” he said before adding that there may an alliance like there was in 2006 when the party tied up with the BJP to form a coalition government.