Three senior Congress leaders — G. Parameshwara, D.K. Shivakumar, and M. Mallikarjun Kharge — played down former Chief Minister and the coalition government’s co-ordination panel chairman Siddaramaiah’s comments on the State budget and longevity of the government and rallied behind the H.D. Kumaraswamy-led government saying that the party is above personal interests and differences.
Mr. Shivakumar, who was one of the architects behind the stitching together of the coalition, said: “Some people are trying to create differences, but we are looking at national interest and the interest of the party. We will obey whatever decision is taken by party president Rahul Gandhi.”
Some vested interests have created differences within the government by releasing videos wherein the former Chief Minister has purportedly made comments on the government, he claimed.
Speculations about Mr. Siddaramaiah being at loggerheads with Mr. Kumaraswamy began after the former stated that the new government need not present a fresh budget but can do with a supplementary budget. Yet another video clip aired on a television channel (recorded through a hidden camera) showed him saying that the position of the coalition beyond the Lok Sabha elections was subject to the political climate.
State Congress chief and Deputy Chief Minister G. Parameshwara, speaking to reporters at Koppal, said: “As president (of the State Congress), I’m issuing this clarification that we have agreed to run this government for five years.” He ruled out confusion about the longevity of the government. Asked about some party leaders’ meeting the former Chief Minister, he said: “What is wrong if we (MLAs from Congress) meet anyone from our party? Where is the confusion?”
Congress leader in the Lok Sabha M. Mallikarjun Kharge said in New Delhi that he would be meeting Mr. Siddaramaiah in a couple of days. He said he had watched the video in which Mr. Siddaramaiah has made statements about the government that have turned controversial. “I will ask him in what context he made the comments in the video. Or if it (the video) has been presented in a distorted manner,” Mr. Kharge said.
He pointed out that the coalition government was forced to bring together secular forces to keep the BJP away from power. He added that the Congress high command was monitoring the developments and he would not comment more.