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Congress men kick up ruckus over alliance at LR-Cheluvarayaswamy meeting

To keep the BJP out of power, the Congress and the JD(S) came together much against the wishes of crore of party workers.

Bengaluru: Congress workers of Nagamangala openly expressed their ire against the alliance with the Janata Dal (Secular) for the Mandya LS seat which will go to polls on November 3.

The workers not only created a ruckus but also took former MLA N Cheluvarayaswamy to task for keeping quiet when state leaders had entered into the pact with the JD(S) for the five byelections to be held next week. This incident happened when the JD(S) candidate for the Mandya seat Mr L.R. Shivaramegowda had gone to the Congress party office on Sunday to seek the support of Congress workers.

At one stage, Mr Cheluvarayaswamy lost confidence and threw the microphone when the workers raised slogans against the tie-up.Pacifying them, the former JD(S) MLA who joined the Congress a few months before the 2018 assembly polls said the coalition government would not have come to power had the BJP secured around 115 seats. Since the lotus party was short of around 10 seats, the Congress which had 79 seats, forged a post-poll alliance with the JD(S) that had won only 37 seats and it was offered the CM post.

To keep the BJP out of power, the Congress and the JD(S) came together much against the wishes of crore of party workers. “I know how our workers are facing an ordeal at the hands of JD(S). Former CM Siddaramaiah is aware of how the JD(S) is behaving after coming to power. The CLP leader has promised to convene the coordination committee meeting to discuss problems of party leaders and workers of old Mysuru region. Mr Siddaramaiah has taken the responsibility of resolving all contentious issues pertaining to JD(S) at the earliest,” he said.

Mr Cheluvarayaswamy then called upon the workers to work for Mr Shivaramegowda as per the directions given by Mr Siddaramaiah. However, they were free to take a decision if things do not improve after the bypolls. "The Lok Sabha elections are due to be held in May next year and we will take our own decision if the grievances are not addressed. None came to my support when minor irrigation minister C.S. Puttaraju termed me a dead horse. We are supporting Mr Shivaramegowda and Mr Kumaraswamy not with any expectation but on the directions of the party leadership". Training his guns on JD(S) patriarch H.D. Deve Gowda, the former minister accused the former PM of not allowing leaders like him to grow in the JD(S). The situation would have been totally different had the Congress won two or three assembly seats in Mandya. The Congress is facing problems since the JD(S) had won all the seven seats in the recent assembly polls, Mr Cheluvarayaswamy added.

Mandya LS candidate Mr Shivaramegowda said he he enjoyed good ties with Mr Cheluvarayaswamy despite political differences and sought Congress support to win the bypoll.

( Source : Deccan Chronicle. )
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