Mandya: Former Chief Minister and JD(S) second-in-command H D Kumaraswamy on Thursday exuded confidence that the incumbent MP from Mandya Sumalatha Ambareesh will bless him.
The BJP has reserved Mandya seat for its alliance partner Janata Dal (Secular) in Karnataka though multi-lingual actress-turned-politician Sumalatha is said to be adamant about contesting from there. She, however, has not revealed her cards yet.
“Me and late Ambareesh (noted Kannada actor-turned-politician) were friends, which is known to all. Sumalatha had served me and Ambareesh food. We are not enemies. I am confident that she will bless me,” Kumaraswamy said at the ‘coordination meeting’ of the BJP and JD(S) in Mandya.
In a show of unity, the BJP and JD(S) on Thursday conducted the ‘coordination meeting’ where the BJP state chief and Shikaripura MLA B Y Vijayendra and former deputy chief minister Dr C N Ashwath Narayan were among those who were present.
Sumalatha had won the 2019 Lok Sabha election as an independent candidate with the BJP’s support, defeating the grandson of former prime minister and JD(S) supremo H D Deve Gowda and son of Kumaraswamy Nikhil Kumaraswamy.
Sumalatha was confident till the last minute that she would get the BJP ticket. However, the BJP announced that it has given this seat to its alliance partner as per its seat-sharing agreement.
“I am sure she will ponder over it and take a decision,” Kumaraswamy said.
The former chief minister said his party forged an alliance with the BJP for the development of Karnataka. “I believe that BJP and the JD(S) alliance is like milk and honey (which go well together). Our alliance is not happening for the first time. In 2004 assembly election when no political party got a clear majority in the state, the Congress leaders attempted to finish off the JD(S). I will not get into those details,” he said.
Recalling how he backtracked from his promise of handing over power to the BJP in a ‘20-20’ power sharing agreement way back in 2006, he said many hands got involved to ensure that this alliance is not continued further.
The JD(S) second-in-command was referring to the power pact with the BJP in 2006, according to which the JD(S) was supposed to rule for the first 20 months and BJP in the next 20 months. However, after 20 months, Kumaraswamy, who headed the BJP-JD(S) coalition government refused to give power to the BJP.
Eventually the coalition government collapsed with the BJP withdrawing its support.
“With pain I am saying that I had to carry the blame for the mistake I did not commit and spent a sort of ‘Vanavas’ for 17 years.” He said he had had dreamt of establishing a “farmer’s government” but could not fulfil it by himself.
The former chief minister predicted the fall of the Congress government by December.
According to him, the Congress did not come to power on its own strength in 2023, but because the BJP and the JD(S) did not fight the election together.
“I am not an astrologer but within a year — I give a deadline of December — we don’t have to remove this government. They (Congress leaders) will bring down this government. I know what is going on in the Congress,” Kumaraswamy said.
Speaking on the occasion, Vijayendra said the unity of the BJP and the JD(S) has made the Congress sleepless. The results in Mandya would be in favour of their coalition, he added.
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