BENGALURU: With bypolls less than three weeks away, former CM and JDS leader HD Kumaraswamy trained his guns on the Congress leadership of Siddaramaiah and DK Shivakumar, for the second time in a week. He told the media that the two leaders were seeking to finish off the JDS and that they have been meeting JDS leaders. He referred to Siddaramaiah taking away seven MLAs, and said the JDS was still strong. He also took objection to the Congress leadership using the term ‘JDS Samadhi’.
“D K Shivakumar is trying to woo all Vokkaliga leaders like the Pied Piper,” he added. Repeated calls to Siddaramaiah evoked no response to the allegations. However, Shivakumar told mediapersons, “H D Kumaraswamy is a big man and he can say all that.’’ Meanwhile, political analysts said that with JDS attacking the Congress instead of the BJP, which won 12 of the 15 bypolls last time, it gives the ruling party a huge advantage and an edge in both constituencies.
Experts said Kumaraswamy had met CM BS Yediyurappa twice during the recent assembly session. They say these statements leave no doubt that it is a straight fight between the BJP and Congress in bypolls to RR Nagar and Sira, though Sira was controlled by the JDS till its MLA B Satyanarayana passed away.