JDS is a 'B-team' of Karunadu, not national parties: Kumaraswamy

BENGALURU: Janata Dal Secular (JDS) leader and former Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy on Monday said that his party is neither a ‘B’ of the Congress party nor that of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Karnataka but that is a "B-team of Karunadu (Karnataka)."

At his election campaign in Channapatna from where he is seeking re-election, Kumaraswamy pointed out that both the national parties accused the JDS of being the 'B-team' of their opponents but were never given a chance to make "corruption" charges against the party.

He was confident of JDS forming the State Government on its own and dismissed the Congress party’s observations that JDS could win in about 25 Assembly seats in the ensuing polls.

Over Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s campaign in Karnataka for the ensuing Assembly polls, Kumaraswamy said Modi did not speak on the current problems being faced by the people of the country and both Congress and BJP accuse ‘corruption’ charge against each other.

The JDS leader said Modi accused Congress party of indulging in ’85 percent’ commission while the Congress party accused BJP government of ’40 percent’ commission and questioned if mudslinging against each other will serve the purpose or solve the problems of the people.

Criticising Narendra Modi over his Swacch Bharat campaign, Kumaraswamy stated that the people in north Karnataka are living a life that is similar to ‘stone age’ and accused both the national parties of playing with the lives of the people of north Karnataka.

If voted to power, he assured to make the lives of farmers self-reliant and launch programmes of about Rs 2.5 lakh crore to make the lives of people of all sections of the society prosperous.