BENGALURU: As reports of a rift between Karnataka's ruling alliance of the Congress and HD Kumaraswamy's Janata Dal Secular (JD(S)) does the rounds, both parties met together for a crucial meeting of its Coordination Committee last week. Both parties have been battling a perception of bitterness after a battle ensued over a video that showed former chief minister Siddaramaiah expressing doubts about the longevity of the alliance. However, it was Siddaramaiah who chaired the crucial Coordination Committee meeting, where the Common Minimum programme was discussed and approved.
He said the coalition was strong and would last its full term. He was backed up by HD Kumaraswamy, who has now replaced him. “There was never any problem. The trouble was just media creation,” Kumaraswamy said. The committee retained all the flagship programmes undertaken by the government led by Siddaramaiah. Also, senior JD(S) leader Danish Ali said the committee has accepted the loan waiver for farmers, details of which will be revealed by the chief minister in the budget. Rs 1,25,000 Crore will be allotted to irrigation projects over the next five years, for the homeless. 20 Lakh new houses will be built. The government also plans to create one crore jobs in the same period.
Congress minister KC Venugopal said, “We discussed all issues. I had told earlier that everything would be settled smoothly. We already decided that. It should be a smooth running government.” Kumaraswamy's budget presentation was a real sore point for Siddaramaiah, as indicated by the controversial video. It showed the former CM asking why Kumaraswamy should present a fresh budget when the Congress had presented one as recently as February.
