BENGALURU: Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde’s remarks that the Congress government in Karnataka will collapse after Lok Sabha elections drew sharp criticism from his Karnataka counterpart Siddaramaiah and other senior Congress leaders.
“They are under illusion and daydreaming. The government cannot be destabilised by Operation Kamala for any reason. The NDA will lose the Lok Sabha elections this time,” Siddaramaiah, said responding to Shinde’s remarks on developments similar to that of Maharashtra taking place in Karnataka after the ongoing General Elections.
Siddaramaiah said that his government is stable and continues to be stable. “They have already tried this for the last one year and failed, why will they try again? None of our MLAs are ready to be sold,” Siddaramaiah said.
On possible political polarisation after the Lok Sabha polls, the CM said that the Congress-led I.N.D.I.A bloc will win and their leader will become the Prime Minister.
Deputy CM and KPCC president, DK Shivakumar, said a Congress-led coalition government will come to power in Maharashtra after the ongoing polls. “After the Lok Sabha polls, the BJP-led NDA government may not be in power in Maharashtra. Congress will form the government there with the help of coalition partners,” he said, replying to reporters’ questions on statements by Shinde.
“After the General Elections, those who left NCP and Shiva Sena will return. Hence, they are scared,” he said. Asked if there are Eknath Shindes in Karnataka, he said, “We don’t have any Eknath Shindes in our party, they may have.”
Karnataka Industries Minister MB Patil also slammed Shinde. After the Lok Sabha polls, 20 MLAs from BJP and JDS will join the Congress and they all are in touch with them, he said. It is not Maharashtra to bring down the government, he said, and added that after Lok Sabha polls, Shinde’s government will collapse.
Patil explained that there are 136 MLAs in Congress and 89 of them have to go to the BJP to ensure that they do not attract the provisions of the Anti-Defection Law. Let Shinde take five of Congress MLAs, he stated.
While speaking at a rally in Satara in Maharashtra, Shinde said he had recently visited Karnataka. “They (some people) asked me to share my experience and I agreed to be there for them,” he said. The Maharashtra CM said some people in Karnataka told him that they have to do “Nath (Eknath) Operation” in Karnataka.