BENGALURU: Already on the edge due to differences over presenting a full-fledged budget and farm loan waiver, the JD(S) leadership has decided to deal with trouble from ‘Siddaramaiah tapes’ head on.
Even as one more video clip, this time, showing former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah expressing doubts about survival of H D Kumaraswamy government after the Lok Sabha election, went viral on Tuesday, JD(S) supremo H D Deve Gowda has sought the intervention of Congress high command to deal with Siddaramaiah for the smooth functioning of the coalition government.
The second one surfaced embarrassing the coalition partners even before the ripples caused by a video clip showing Siddaramaiah conveying his displeasure over the CM’s plan to present a fresh budget two days ago died down.
In the second video clip, Siddaramaiah is purportedly saying it is difficult for the coalition government to last full term and conveys the view that the chances of it surviving beyond LS polls are bleak. The video appears to be shot secretly at Shanthivana, a naturopathy treatment centre in Ujire, where Siddaramaiah is undergoing nature therapy. A person who is not seen in the video is heard asking several questions pertaining to the government and assembly election to Siddaramaiah, who heads the Coalition Coordination Committee.
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The “tape leaks” are being seen as part of a strategy of a group of Siddaramaiah loyalists who are opposed to JD(S) getting upper hand in the coalition government and are feeling marginalised. Interestingly, the tapes surfaced after a group of Congress MLAs held a meeting with Siddaramaiah just a few days ago.
In the latest video, Siddaramaiah also sounds confident of Modi government not coming back to power in the country given the unity of the opposition parties.
Reacting to Siddaramaiah’s tape, DyCM and KPCC chief G Parameshwara said that the Congress is committed to ensuring that the coalition government lasts the full 5-year-term. “We will stand by our commitment made to JD(S),” he said. However, he refused to comment on Siddaramaiah’s purported statement expressing doubts about this government surviving beyond the Lok Sabha election.
Expressing concern at the discomfiture being caused by the Siddaramaiah group, Deve Gowda is looking up to Congress high command to sort out the issue. “I hope AICC general secretary in-charge of party affairs in Karnataka K C Venugopal will settle the issues with Siddaramaiah,” he said.