BENGALURU: The storm of the Lok Sabha elections has barely settled down and rumblings of another round of dissent are around the corner but Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy has assured JDS leaders that no harm will come to his government.
In the first JDS Legislature Party meeting held after the elections in Karnataka, Kumaraswamy told his party leaders on Sunday that all was well with the Congress and central leaders of the party had been made aware of the current political scenario. While State party president H Vishwanath gave the meeting a miss due to ill-health, national president H D Deve Gowda, Kumaraswamy and Nikhil Kumar led the meeting.
“There are no threats to the government. My government is very stable and I am doing everything I need to to ensure it remains that way. Your focus should be to work for the party,” Kumaraswamy is said to have told his party leaders.
The CM told his party leaders that the central leadership of the Congress was aware of the political developments in the state.While Congress leader S T Somashekhar’s letter to his party leaders calling for a meeting fanned speculations of an imminent dissent, Kumaraswamy has assured his party leaders that the government is under no threat. The focus, Kumaraswamy said, was to keep the alliance going and winning Kundgol and Chincholi seats in the May 19 bypolls.
“Venugopal has been informed that Congress legislators and ministers have been given a complete free hand as well as funds for works. There is no reason to believe that the JDS has been unfair. Congress continues to have the upper hand under the 2:1 ratio and there is no reason to complain,” a party leader at the meeting said.
Disgruntled Congress leader Ramesh Jarkiholi found prominent mention at the meet with Kumaraswamy saying that he he spoke to Jarkiholi who has promised not to trouble his government.The much-delayed appointment of office-bearers for the JDS was also discussed at the meeting. “Office-bearers for all seven zones identified by us will be appointed by May 7. We will have office-bearers in Coastal Karnataka, Mumbai-Karnataka, Hyderabad-Karnataka, Central Karnataka, Old Mysuru region, Bengaluru Urban and Bengaluru Rural,” said T A Sharavana, MLC.