BENGALURU: In an unprecedented development, Janata Dal (S) leader and Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy will attend the Congress Legislature Party (CLP) meeting on December 8. On Saturday, the CM said he will attend the CLP meeting to interact with the Congress MLAs and redress their grievances. After Kumaraswamy had expressed his willingness to directly interact with the Congress legislators, he was invited to the meeting by CLP chief Siddaramaiah and Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) president Dinesh Gundu Rao.
Kumaraswamy’s presence at the CLP meeting and his efforts to address their concerns will enable him to have bigger influence over the Congress legislators. Though Siddaramaiah is the CLP leader and will chair the meeting, the CM will effectively be holding the fort.
Congress MLAs had recently met Siddaramaiah with a litany of complaints against the coalition government. They complained that they were getting a raw deal in the government as requests for grants
or transfer of officials to their constituencies were not being considered by the government.
Many senior Congress leaders and MLAs are also upset over delay in ministry expansion and have been demanding for the CLP meeting to discuss their concerns.The decision to invite the CM to the CLP meeting is also seen as an attempt by the coalition parties’ leaders to take Congress MLAs into confidence ahead of the winter session of the state legislature, which is set to start in Belagavi from December 10. The JD(S) leadership depends on the Congress MLAs support in the assembly to avoid embarrassment during the assembly proceedings as the BJP has already announced that it will put the government on the mat.
Sugarcane farmers’ demand to clear their pending dues from sugar factories and implementation of the much-talked about farm loan waiver are expected to top the BJP’s agenda to corner the government.
The Congress high command had earlier too sought the CM’s intervention to end rebellion within Congress days after the new government was formed. Just when some Congress MLAs had raised the banner of revolt, the CM had visited Congress leader M B Patil’s residence, held talks with him, and had even arranged their meeting with the high command.