Ball rolling on Siddaramaiah entry to Cong

The Kumaraswamy government in Karnataka has lost its sheen and Congressmen in the state have been asked to work hard to regain the party’s position, CWC member AK Antony said on returning after a three-day visit there.

The Kumaraswamy government in Karnataka has lost its sheen and Congressmen in the state have been asked to work hard to regain the party’s position, CWC member AK Antony said on returning after a three-day visit there. But the induction of former JD(S) leader Siddaramaiah and his party is still in question, in the face of opposition from veteran K Jaffer Sharief.

Antony said Siddaramaiah’s All India Progressive Janata Dal (AIPJD) and the Congress had developed ‘‘excellent coordination in the Assembly and outside’’ but the party is undecided on inducting him and his seven MLAs. ‘‘Their joining is presently not on our agenda. But in future, any thing could happen,’’ Antony said.

In the AIPJD’s way is Sharief who is opposed to the entry of CM Ibrahim who is with Siddaramaiah. The Congress had lost the Bangalore North Lok Sabha seat for the first time in 2004 when Ibrahim contested against Sharief, resulting in the victory of the BJP candidate. Sharief who lost an election for the first time, holds Ibrahim responsible and refuses to relent.

Following talks involving Congress leaders and a meeting of Siddaramaiah with Sonia Gandhi, his association with the party has been decided in principle, but details are yet to be worked out, Antony said. ‘‘What we know for sure at the moment is that he and the Congress will be together before the next elections,’’ the leader said.

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