Bengaluru: Amid speculation that the disgruntled Congress MLAs could pose trouble in the coming budget session of the Karnataka Assembly by staying away from it, Chief Minister, H.D. Kumaraswamy on Monday dismissed the rumours asserting that he would present his budget on Friday as scheduled.
“The so- called rebels are in touch with me. They spoke to me this morning too. Nothing will happen. They have a good equation with me. They only have internal problems related to their districts. My focus is on presenting the budget, which will happen,” he asserted during his interaction with a group of journalists. The CM who handles the finance portfolio, is scheduled to present the budget on Friday.
Asked if it was a BJP-induced crisis or the Congress was proving to be an irritant, he said confidently, “I know how to defuse any situation. Whatever they do, I know how to deal with them.”
On Congress MLAs attacking him every now and then, Mr Kumaraswamy admitted, “I have several problems with the system.” Evading a question on the sharing of constituencies this Lok Sabha poll between the coalition partners in the government, he said his job was to focus on administration and make preparations for the budget while his father took care of political negotiations.
He, however, vaguely added that the JD (S) intended to field its candidates from at least two or three seats up north. But he did not reveal whether his son, Nikhil, would be fielded from Mandya as rumoured, saying the matter had not been discussed as yet.
When his attention was drawn to some Congressmen backing Ms Sumalatha Ambareesh's candidature for Mandya, Mr Kumaraswamy shot back, "Who is Sumalatha Ambareesh? What is her contribution to Mandya? Something unfortunate (her husband, actor and Congress politician Ambareesh's death) happened. And now, she would like to contest!"
