Deve Gowda's Delhi visit spark rumours about coalition collapse
Ahead of the rescheduled cabinet expansion on June 14 in Karnataka, former prime minister HD Deve Gowda’s meeting with Congress president Rahul Gandhi in Delhi sparked rumours that the Janata Dal (Secular) is pulling away from the coalition government.
The speculation was sparked by an India Today report, which quoted Deve Gowda as having complained against Siddaramaiah blocking the way for a smooth expansion of the cabinet.
Congress sources and Chief Minister’s office denied any such threat.
Congress Coordination Committee chief Siddaramaiah on May 28 had told media that the government will not reshuffle but only expand the cabinet to fill three vacant posts.
Of the three vacancies, one of them was caused by the death of Municipal Administration Minister CS Shivalli. Another ministerial berth is vacant after BSP MLA N Mahesh resigned as Primary and Secondary Education Minister last year. The third seat is vacant since the cabinet formation last year.
Infighting between the JD(S) and Congress started after they lost badly in the Lok Sabha elections. To discuss the poll performance and cabinet expansion, All India Congress Committee office-bearers KC Venugopal and Ghulam Nabi Azad met Karnataka Congress leaders, including Siddaramaiah, G Parameshwara and state party chief Dinesh Gundu Rao last month.
The coalition partners, in a desperate attempt to save the government from collapsing, wooed two rebel MLAs of ministerial berth. However, after a few senior Congress leaders expressed displeasure over not getting ministerial berth, the stability of the government was threatened.
After the poll debacle, with the Congress securing just one of the 28 Lok Sabha seats, the party is now in disarray, with senior leaders accusing Siddaramaiah of side-lining them. JD(S) party president Adagur H Vishwanath resigned from his post alleging Siddaramaiah of causing trouble for the coalition.
The government had said it would not resort to any decision that would upset the existing cabinet members. Kumaraswamy met rebel MLAs Ramesh Jarkiholi, BC Patil, Mahesh Kumathalli and K Sudhakar last month. However, the situation seems to have escalated.
Union Minister from Karnataka DV Sadananda Gowda on June 9 had said the much-awaited cabinet expansion will lay foundation for the ruling government’s collapse.head of the rescheduled cabinet expansion on June 14 in Karnataka, former prime minister HD Deve Gowda’s meeting with Congress president Rahul Gandhi in Delhi sparked rumours that the Janata Dal (Secular) is pulling away from the coalition government.
