The Congress has accused former Chief Minister and JD(S) leader H.D. Kumaraswamy of eying the post of Leader of Opposition in the Legislative Assembly, with the support of BJP.
At a press conference in Mysuru on Monday, July 17, Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) spokesperson Manjula Manasa referred to Mr. Kumaraswamy’s repeated attack against the Congress and its leadership in Karnataka clearly showed that the JD(S) leader was planning to grab the post of Leader of Opposition in the Legislative Assembly.
Mr. Kumaraswamy has stepped up his attack on the Congress government after the BJP had failed to identify its leader of the Opposition despite winning 65 seats in the recently held Assembly elections. Mr. Kumaraswamy, whose JD(S) had won only 19 seats, was planning to occupy the post of Leader of Opposition with the support of BJP, she alleged.
Instead of becoming the voice of Opposition, Mr. Kumaraswamy is sounding like a “BJP spokesperson”, she alleged.
While accusing Mr. Kumaraswamy of “political opportunism”, Ms. Manasa urged the JD(S) leadership to remove the word “secular” from its name.
Another KPCC spokesperson H.A. Venkatesh, who was also present, said the BJP has realised that it was not in a position to put up a good performance even in the coming Lok Sabha polls in the State and was hence, considering giving Mr. Kumaraswamy the post of Leader of Opposition.
“BJP’s rout in the country has started from Karnataka,” he said, while adding that it was not without a reason that a national party like BJP was handing over the coveted post of Leader of Opposition to a regional party.
In democracy, the Congress expects a good Leader of the Opposition and Mr. Kumaraswamy, who had served as a Chief Minister, will fit the bill. However, he said the JD(S) should merge with the BJP if Mr. Kumaraswamy is to be made the Leader of Opposition.
If there was anybody responsible for BJP’s growth in Karnataka, it was Mr. Kumaraswamy, he alleged.
Meanwhile, KPCC spokesperson T.S. Satyananda, who was also present, took exception to the “baseless” allegations levelled by Mr. Kumaraswamy, who was exhibiting a pen-drive reportedly containing the charges.
He sought to draw Mr. Kumaraswamy’s attention to the words of his father and former Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda when he was the Chief Minister of Karnataka and was facing charges from the then Leader of the Opposition B.S. Yediyurappa over his son H.D. Revanna allegedly occupying the Chief Minister’s chair in the Vidhana Soudha and making telephone calls. Mr. Gowda had dared Mr. Yediyurappa to provide evidence to substantiate the charges and Mr. Kumaraswamy should also show proof for the charges.
Mr. Satyananda said the party was planning to file a case against alleged “criminal misconduct” by Mr. Kumaraswamy, who was levelling the charges only before the media instead of bringing it up in the Legislature.
