On a day when fresh doubts emerged on the longevity of the Congress-JD(S) coalition government in Karnataka, former CM Siddaramaiah claimed all is well. He tweeted saying that all the speculation surrounding some Congress MLAs deserting the party for the BJP was “baseless and unfounded”.
“The rumours of MLAs toppling the government are baseless and unfounded. There may be slight differences over development in their constituencies and that does not mean quitting,” Siddaramaiah, who is also the chairman of the co-ordination committee, tweeted.
He added, “The rumours of MLAs toppling the government are baseless and unfounded. There may be slight differences over development in their constituencies and that does not mean quitting.”
Incidentally, sources within the Congress claim that it was Siddaramaiah who encouraged the rebellion to mark his importance in state politics.
Ever since the cabinet appointments were made, the Jarkiholi brothers— Ramesh and Satish— have been disenchanted and have been pushing for better ministerial berths. While Ramesh was given the low profile ministries of Municipalities and Local Bodies, Port and Inland, Satish, a former minister with the Siddaramaiah cabinet was dropped for allegedly being a “turncoat” during the resort drama.
Early on Tuesday morning, political activity was at its peak in the state with buzz among political circles suggesting that 10 Congress MLAs led by the sugar baron Ramesh Jarkiholi will head to neighbouring Maharashtra to restart resort politics in the state.
Apparently the Maharashtra plan was dropped after Ramesh held a close door meeting with Karnataka Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy but the CM refused to face the media post the meeting.
Siddaramaiah, KPCC President Dinesh Gundu Rao, DK Shivakumar and KPCC Working President Eshwar Khandre will fly to New Delhi on Tuesday evening to meet with party president Rahul Gandhi to contain the situation.