BENGALURU: Agreeing with central leaders of Congress that the coalition arrangement with JD (S) should be extended to Lok Sabha polls, former chief minister Siddaramaiah on Monday asserted that none has opposed the idea of these two parties jointly contesting against the BJP next year.
During an interaction with the media after his meeting with Congress president, Rahul Gandhi in New Delhi, Siddaramaiah remarked, “Who said that we are opposed to fighting the elections jointly? The matter is still being discussed at the highest level. There will be many opinions on every issue. But, the Congress has a tradition of accepting the final decision taken by the high command. In this case, too, the party high command's decision will prevail ultimately.”
Siddaramaiah, who reportedly held talks with Gandhi for about 30 minutes, declared that he prevailed upon him to take up cabinet expansion at the earliest, and the latter agreed. “We (Karnataka) actually wanted to carry out the cabinet expansion at the earliest but had to put off this exercise due to Ashada month (considered inauspicious by many Hindus) therefore, we wanted to bring it to his (Gandhi) notice," he said adding that the coalition partners, JD(S) and Congress, have decided to appoint chairpersons for as many 30 state run boards and corporations as per the coalition's 2:1 formula.
Siddaramaiah's meeting with Gandhi gained significance after several state leaders repeatedly cautioned the party top brass about the possible erosion of party’s support base in the event of a seat-sharing agreement with JD (S). The former chief minister reportedly discussed political developments in the state during the meeting.
