A year after stepping down as Chief Minister following the resignation of 17 JD(S)-Congress legislators, JD(S) leader H.D. Kumaraswamy attacked the BJP for using “immoral means” to bring down his government and trained his guns at former Chief Minister and Congress leader Siddaramaiah as well.
He stepped down on July 22, 2019, after losing majority in the Assembly.
Without referring to Mr. Siddaramaiah by name, Mr. Kumaraswamy in a long post released to the media on Wednesday recalled developments during the 14-month rule. While he attacked the BJP for resorting to unethical ways to topple the government through ‘Operation Lotus’ and indulging in horse trading, it was his detailed attack on Congress leaders that raised eyebrows. Especially since it came soon after the Congress extended support to JD(S) supremo H.D. Deve Gowda in the Rajya Sabha polls.
“A section of the Congress leaders was unhappy at the high command not taking them into confidence and had become intolerant from day one. This section had conveyed to the high command that it could break the JD(S) had it been given some time,” Mr. Kumaraswamy said, adding that this section also urged him to continue the Budget presented by outgoing Chief Minister Siddaramaiah. “I did not stop any of the programmes, but gave relief to farmers through loan waiver. It did not make them happy.”
Further, the JD(S) leader said: “Let the big [Congress] leader introspect on how much the BJP and the Congress leaders strategized to remove my government. I did not commit any mistakes in 14 months. But this section went on saying that they should wait till the Lok Sabha polls. This was the ‘Siddaushada’ (ready medicine) of the Congress leaders.”
Mr. Kumaraswamy said that several Congress leaders did not like that he had invited inviting 24 regional political party leaders to his oath-taking ceremony. “After offering unconditional support to form the government, the Congress started demanding cabinet berths and portfolios, deputation of officers of their choice. It is true that I have been treated like a clerk,” he said.
Responding to the barrage of comments, while refusing to be dragged in, Mr. Siddaramaiah said he did not know why Mr. Kumaraswamy had raised the issues now. Mr. Kumaraswamy later took to Twitter stating that he had remembered the developments because Mr. Siddaramaiah had recently said that the Congress would have won 8 to 10 seats if it had gone alone.
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