Spokes in Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah ‘Operation Hand’

Bengaluru: With 10-12 JD(S) MLAs in touch with him, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah was all set to launch ‘Operation Hand’ to get them into the Congress after the ensuing by-elections but his plan has run into rough weather with central leaders warning him that it may tarnish the party’s image. A senior leader from New Delhi said, “Former PM H.D. Deve Gowda’s press conference on Sunday seems to be a calculated move to put his rebellious leaders on the back foot. Congress leaders are in no mood to allow Mr Siddaramaiah to carry out Operation Hand.”

Mr Siddaramaiah’s plan is ill-times as it comes at a juncture when the Congress is in the process of forming a United Front of Secular Parties (UFSP) to counter Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Though the UFSP is still at a nascent stage, efforts are afoot in Bihar and Uttar Pradesh, where traditional rivals like Nitish Kumar and Lalu Prasad Yadav have come together while Mulyam Singh Yadav is in the process of wooing BSP supremo Mayawati in UP. Poaching on the MLAs of JD(S), considered a secular party, may affect the prospects of the UFSP, the source said.

JD(S) MLAs reportedly in touch with the Congress include N. Cheluvaraya Swamy, Zameer Ahmed Khan, Iqbal Ansari, Mallikarjuna Khooba, S. Bhima Naik, M.J. Appaji, D. Nagarajaiah, M.T. Krishnappa, Pille Muniswameppa, Dr K. Srinvasamurthy and Y.S.V. Datta.