Was made CM for namesake during coalition govt, worked like 1st division clerk: HDK
BAGALKOT: Lashing out at Congress party, JD(S) leader H D Kumaraswamy asserted that he was just a namesake chief minister. "I was the chief minister for the sake of it in the alliance government as I was restricted from making independent decisions. I worked like a first-division clerk in the 14-month long governance," he said.
The former chief minister made these remarks during the one-day convention held at Bagalkot on Sunday. The first-ever programme hosted by the JD (S) after the assembly elections of 2018 is aimed at strengthening the party in the region and to kick-start the preparations for the upcoming assembly elections.
“I didn’t have any kind of freedom being at the helm of the state during the coalition. I had pressure from all corners, where Congress Legislative Party leader Siddaramaiah and his colleagues used to coerce to continue their programmes and irrigation projects that were announced during his regime. BJP, the then opposition party, used to say that I had come to power by giving fake assurance to farmers of waiving off their loans. However, the reality is that I had no liberty to make any decisions,” said an enraged HDK.
Condemning the violence reported during the ongoing protests against the agri laws in Delhi, Kumaraswamy urged the central government to find an amicable solution in the interest of farmers. “The violence reported on Republic Day is a black mark in the Indian history. The government should investigate to find out the reasons behind the violence. PM Narendra Modi expresses his concerns on farm protest over Mann Ki Baat but won’t talk about the violence. There need to be discussions and talks on the farm laws before implementing them,” the former CM stated.