Amid poaching fears, Karnataka CM HD Kumaraswamy claims daily threat to government hampers performance

On Thursday, Karnataka chief minister HD Kumaraswamy appeared to take a veiled attack at his alliance partner Congress as the latter party struggles to put its house in order.

According to  CNN-News18 , Kumaraswamy said it was his misfortune that he had to lead a coalition government, not once but twice. “I am unfortunate to have led the coalition government twice. Even back then, there were speculations about the government falling. The same continues now. Due to this, I am unable to work for the people although I want to meet their expectations,” said Kumaraswamy at an event in the city.

Speaking to India Today, the Karnataka chief minister further said that he was unable to work due to the undue pressure of running  a coalition government. He also rued about the continuous threat on his government which relies on Congress support to remain in majority. “I can’t even explain the kind of obstacles I am facing in running the government. I can’t work properly if my government is under threat daily. I would have performed better if I had got a majority in the Assembly,” Kumaraswamy told the news channel.

Kumraswamy had led a coalition government in 2006 as well with the support of BJP. The government only lasted 20 months before the alliance was shattered.

The Karnataka chief minister, however, added that he was confident that all Congress MLAs will continue to support his party and blamed the BJP for trying to spread misinformation. Speaking to reporters in Bengaluru, Kumaraswamy said that the  Congress-JD(S) ties were “strong”  and the parties will fight the upcoming Lok Sabha election together.

On Wednesday, the chief minister made a  similar statement : “MLAs (Congress MLAs in Mumbai hotel) are unreachable to the media, not to me. I am in touch with everybody and I am speaking to everybody, they will come back. Our coalition is going on smoothly. I was relaxed and I am relaxed. Don’t worry, be happy.”

Kumaraswamy’s comments come in the backdrop of allegations that the BJP was trying to pull Operation Kamala in a bid to topple the current government. However, many reports also said that the real threat to the alliance was from the discord within Congress, which was caused by unfulfilled ambition of party workers sidelined to accomodate the JD(S). The Congress allowed the JD(S) to lead the government despite gaining a larger number of seats.

With inputs from PTI