Ready to step down, says Kumaraswamy; signals fresh strain in Congress-JD(S) ties

"Congress leaders have to watch all that issues. I am not the concerned person for it. If they want to continue with it, I am ready to step down. They are crossing the line," Karnataka CM Kumaraswamy said.

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The development comes after MLAs close to Siddaramaiah had attacked the CM on Sunday. (File)

Signalling a fresh strain in relations between the Congress and JD(S), Karnataka Chief Minister Kumaraswamy Monday said he was ready to step down if the Grand Old Party does not control its MLAs. Kumaraswamy’s furious reaction came after a ruling Congress MLA demanded that Siddaramaiah be made the chief minister again.

“Congress leaders have to watch all that issues. I am not the concerned person for it. If they want to continue with it, I am ready to step down. They are crossing the line…Congress leaders must control their MLAs,” ANI quoted the JD(S) leader as saying.

#WATCH: Karnataka CM HD Kumaraswamy says “…If they want to continue with the same thing, I am ready to step down. They are crossing the line”, when asked ‘Congress MLAs are saying that Siddaramaiah is their CM’.’ pic.twitter.com/qwErh4aEq4

— ANI (@ANI) January 28, 2019

The development comes after MLA ST Somashekhar, chairperson of the Bengaluru Development Authority, claimed at an event on Sunday that development works had come to a grinding halt in the state.

“Our government has taken up projects worth Rs 1 lakh crore, including suburban train, elevated corridor and peripheral ring road,” the CM said.

Karnataka Congress president Dinesh Gundu Rao said such statements by Congress MLAs were not acceptable. “His public statement is inappropriate. I condemn it and I will issue a show-cause notice to him,” PTI quoted Rao as saying.

Karnataka deputy CM G Parameshwara said Siddaramaiah had been the best chief minister. “Siddaramaiah has been the best CM. He is our Legislature Party leader. For the MLA, he (Siddaramaiah) is the CM. He has expressed his opinion. What is wrong in that? We are all happy with Kumaraswamy,” ANI quoted Parameshwara as saying.

However, Siddaramaiah downplayed the issue and blamed the media for stirring the trouble. Siddaramaiah said he would speak with Kumaraswamy on the issue and asserted there was no question of him becoming the CM.

“You (media) are the people who create trouble. You ask one person, then the second person and then third person. There is no trouble, I will speak to HD Kumaraswamy,” ANI quoted Siddaramaiah as saying.

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The CM’s outburst comes amid concerns of Congress MLAs crossing over to the BJP and the coalition collapsing. To guard against horsetrading by the BJP, the Congress has shifted its lawmakers to Eagleton Resort near Bengaluru.

Last year, Kumaraswamy had stirred a controversy over the future of the JD(S)-Congress alliance by turning teary-eyed during a party meeting and stating that he was not happy being the chief minister of the coalition.

“All of you are happy because your elder or younger brother has become the chief minister. But I am not happy. I am swallowing my own pain like a poison like Vishakanta (Lord Shiva, who drank poison to save the world),’’ Kumaraswamy had said.

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