Bengaluru: With tension escalating between the coalition partners in the state government, Congress president Rahul Gandhi summoned former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and KPCC Bengalurupresident Dinesh Gundurao to a meeting in New Delhi on Wednesday to discuss the situation.
Also present at the meeting was AICC general secretary K.C. Venugopal.
Mr Gandhi appears to have decided to intervene following Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy’s offer to step down, angered by the criticism of some Congress legislators.
Mr Siddaramaiah reportedly explained that most Congress workers in the state felt that both Janata Dal (Secular) supremo H.D. Deve Gowda and Mr Kumaraswamy could not be trusted.
Recalling their behaviour in 2004-06 when the Congress-Janata Dal (Secular) coalition was first in power, he warned the Deve Gowda family could work at cross purposes with the Congress party in the Lok Sabha elections, according to party sources.
While he gave him and Mr Gundurao a patient hearing, Mr Gandhi did not seem convinced about the “sinister design” of the Deve Gowda family to finish the Congress party in the old Mysuru region and cautioned them instead against making any move that could destablise the coalition, going by sources.
The Congress president is said to have sent the leaders back with the advice to do nothing to rock the boat at this juncture.
Seeing Mr Gandhi’s firm stance in the matter, it remains to be seen how state Congress leaders deal with thorny issues with the Janata Dal (Secular), which has made it clear that it has had enough and will take no more criticism.
