Siddaramaiah and company in damage control mode

Bengaluru: Soon after JD(S) patriarch H. D. Deve Gowda remarked that mid-term polls are imminent in the state, Congress Legislature Party (CLP) leader, Siddarmaiah along with several top  leaders like Deputy CM Dr G. Parameshwar and KPCC president Dinesh Gundurao tried their best to set at rest increasing doubts over the survival of the JD(S)-Congress coalition government.

Mr Gowda's stunning statement came a couple of days after Mr Siddaramaiah's meeting with AICC president, Rahul Gandhi when he reportedly said that the tieup with the JD(S)  was doing more harm to the Congress than good. The JD(S) supremo also seems to have been irked by the constant attacks on the CM and the coalition government by a group of  legislators who own allegiance to CLP leader Siddaramaiah.

“Mr Gowda was waiting for an opportunity to send a subtle warning to the Congress that both coalition partners will suffer if the government is brought down,” a senior leader in the Congress disclosed.

Immediately after Mr Gowda's outburst, Mr Siddaramaiah took to twitter to assert that during his meeting with Mr Gandhi, he had not discussed anything about the present dispensation. “We are firmly committed to lend our support to the H.D. Kumaraswamy led government in the state. Speculative journalism  is sending wrong signals to the people of Karnataka & will disturb the smooth  functioning of our government,” he tweeted.

While trying to downplay Mr Gowda's statement, Deputy Chief Minister Dr G.  Parameshwar asserted that minor differences are inevitable in every coalition government and the parties should resolve it internally. He added that Mr Gowda being an experienced leader and a former PM, he thinks about everything before he speaks.  "Losing a election is common, one should not believe that the Congress party has become weak or has lost its strength," Dr Parameshwar said.

Meanwhile,  Mr Gundurao  maintained that he would not like  to react to Mr Gowda's statement as he considers Mr Gowda a very respected  leader. "I am too young to react to  Mr Gowda's remark," he said and  added that the Congress is committed to extend its unconditional support to JD(S) for the remaining four year term. In the same breath he said no party in the country would be afraid of facing a poll just because they have lost one or two elections. "Winning and losing are  part of the game. Every party irrespective of the situation will be ready to face  any eventuality including mid-term polls. However, the Congress will not make  any move to impose mid-term polls on the state,” he clarified in response to a  question.