Former prime minister and JD(S) chief H D Deve Gowda. (File photo)
Janata Dal (Secular) chief H D Deve Gowda on Wednesday refuted reports of strains in the ruling Congress-JD(S) coalition in Karnataka and said his son and Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy will present the budget on July 5 and there is no threat to his government. “Kumaraswamy will present the budget on July 5. There is no anxiety, he will do it. The budget will get passed by July 12,” Gowda told PTI.
Denying the reports of tension between the coalition members, Gowda said, “There will be no danger to the government. There is anxiety among you (the media)…now go back with satisfaction.”
Gowda, who is in Delhi to attend the meeting of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Defence, evaded questions about former chief minister Siddaramaiah’s opposition to budget presentation as he said, “Let there be no discussion on this (topic), the budget will be presented, the matter ends.”
There are speculations that he is visiting the national capital to hold a meeting with senior Congress leaders. However, former prime minister Gowda clearly stated that he will not be holding any such meeting. “No such meeting honestly…. I will be returning after Defence committee meeting tomorrow morning,” he said, when asked whether he will be meeting any Congress leaders.
The signs of strain between the alliance partners became evident after Siddaramaiah, chairman of Congress-JD(S) coordination committee, was seen expressing doubts about the longevity of the JDS-Congress government in a video that surfaced on Tuesday. This came two days after another video clip allegedly showing Siddaramiah expressing his displeasure to a few Congress MLAs over presentation of a fresh budget had emerged.
Among the sticking points that have emerged is the Congress’s resistance to initiation of a fresh budget by Kumaraswamy since Siddaramaiah came out with a budget ahead of the assembly elections in May. The former chief minister was heard expressing dissatisfaction over JDS’s efforts to come out with a new budget in a leaked conversation with some of his supporters.
Meanwhile, senior Congress leader and Karnataka Water Resources Minister D K Shivakumar also countered the reports saying, his party’s support to the coalition government was for a full five-year term. He said, “For five years term, our party leaders have signed and given…all decisions have happened with Rahul Gandhi’s (Congress President) approval. For five years we should not disturb, he (Kumaraswamy) should be Chief Minister and the government should complete full term…”
He further stated that the video of informal talks among party members must have been released by some ‘mischief-maker’ and was not official. “What was official is the decision of the high command that was released as a signed document,” he said.
Clarifying on the issue, Shivakumar said there was no need for any confusion and no one in the party, including him, should make open statements. “If there are any issues, it should be discussed within the party,” he said.