Slamming his erstwhile alliance-partner Congress, which has launched a nation-wide “Save Democracy” campaign against the BJP’s move to lure legislators resulting in the fall of the democratically elected governments, former Karnataka Chief Minister and Janata Dal (Secular) leader H.D. Kumraswamy on Tuesday questioned its moral ground in questioning the saffron party. He said the Congress is guilty of dividing legislators of like-minded parties and indulging in horse trading.
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“Is luring MLAs of the party, which supported them, through political shenanigans and merging the party with them a democratic behaviour? Haven’t they [Congress] lured all BSP MLAs who supported the Congress to form government in Rajasthan? Is this not a buyout?” he asked in a statement. “If you are dividing the like-minded supporting party MLAs through deceit who would support you? Are these mistakes not visible?”
Accusing Congress of being “an expert in dividing political parties and purchasing MLAs,” he said: “In fact, the term ‘horse trading’ in politics came to be used because of the Congress.”
Ironically, Mr. Kumaraswamy’s statement comes just a month after the Congress had supported his father and JD (S) supremo H.D. Deve Gowda in the recently held Rajya Sabha elections in which the JD (S) did not have the required number. The former Chief Minister has been critical of the Congress in the recent weeks.
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Both parties are criminals
The former Chief Minister said: “Haven’t the Congress which is making a big noise about purchase of MLAs divided the JD (S) in the past? Is it not a fact that for the sale of one Rajya Sabha seat, the Congress government in Karnataka purchased eight JD (S) MLAs? Is this democracy? Both parties are criminals in purchase matters. When S.M. Krishna was the CM, didn’t Congress buy our MLAs? Didn’t the Congress conspire to form a government after the 2018 Assembly polls by buying our MLAs? Do Congress have the moral courage to answer these questions?”
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He said the Congress had tried to divide the JD (S) in 2004 and claimed that to avoid the party being hijacked by the Congress, I had to oust the Congress-JD (S) coalition through a political coup.
