BENGALURU: Former chief minister Siddaramaiah appears to be a very disgruntled man ever since results of the assembly election were declared in the state, and has made his displeasure known with jibes — virtually daily now — at his successor H D Kumaraswamy. This has not only left JD(S) MLAs angry, but also caused plenty of discontent among Congress leaders.
“As the chairman of the coordination committee, Siddaramaiah is expected to be at the forefront to ensure the JD(S)-Congress coalition government functions smoothly,” a senior Congress leader told media. “Unfortunately, he is only creating trouble by expressing doubts about the longevity of the government time and again.”
Several Congress MLAs and leaders privately claim Siddaramaiah’s opposition to Kumaraswamy presenting a full-fledged budget is uncalled for since it has been the practice of every new government to present a budget. “How can you expect the new assembly to accept a budget which it has not approved?” asked a Congress leader, while reminding Siddaramaiah that AICC president Rahul Gandhi has no hassled with Kumaraswamy tabling a new budget.
A senior JD(S) leader said Siddaramaiah could have raised the budget issue in a coordination committee meeting instead of going public about it. “Moreover, as part of the power-sharing agreement, only JD(S) secretary-general K Danish Ali and AICC general secretary, K C Venugopal, have been authorized to speak to the media on any matter pertaining to coalition government,” the leader said.
A section of Congress and JD(S) MLAs also believe that the video clips emerging from the naturopathy centre in Belthangady, Dakshina Kannada district, where Siddaramaiah is undergoing rejuvenation therapy, are the handiwork of the former CM’s camp and is aimed at causing confusion.
“He is neither ill nor suffering from any disease,” said a JD(S) minister. “He is supposedly there to take rest. So why are so many MLAs and party leaders travelling all the way from Bengaluru to Dharmasthala to meet him? It is only to create confusion.”
Defending Siddaramaiah, a Congress MLA said: “The former CM is doing this because he thinks Kumaraswamy and deputy chief minister G Parameshwara are enjoying the fruits of his labour. He may also be trying to tell the world that he still holds the sway over Congress MLAs and control over the coalition government.”
Prasanta Patnaik 
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