Siddaramaiah caught on camera! Former Karnataka CM says Congress -JD(S) alliance won’t last beyond 2019 Lok Sabha polls

A video of Karnataka Congress leader and former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah expressing doubts about the longevity of the Congress and Janata Dal (Secular) coalition government in the state has created ripples in the political circles in the state. In the video, the senior Congress leader can be heard saying that the alliance government in the state won’t be able to complete its full term of five years and that the Congress formed the government in alliance with the JD(S) keeping next year’s general elections in mind.

“Five years…difficult…let’s see what will happen after the parliament election (in 2019),” he said, according to several local channels which aired the video.

“They (government) will remain until parliament elections are over, after that, what all developments will happen (we will have to see),” Siddaramaiah who is also the chief of the Congress-JD(S) coordination committee, added. It is believed that the video was recorded at a Dharamshala hospital where Siddaramaiah is undergoing treatment.

The development comes in the backdrop of several Congress MLAs including Siddaramaiah expressing reservations over CM HD Kumaraswamy’s decision to present a full-fledged budget, slated for early next month. According to Siddaramaiah, he had tabled a full-fledged budget just before the Assembly elections, and thus, there was no need of a separate budget. Siddaramaiah feels that a new budget by Kumaraswamy will give an edge to the JD(S) MLAs over the Congress lawmakers whose strength in the House is more than the CM’s party. However, Kumaraswamy’s argument is that since a new government is in place, a new budget is required to determine its direction.

Reports of displeasure among the leaders of the two parties have been reported in media on several occasions ever since they formed the government. The Congress and JD(S) forged a post-poll alliance after the Karnataka Assembly elections delivered a hung verdict with the BJP emerging as the single largest party. The Congress is the junior partner in the government despite winning twice number seats than the JD(S).

Meanwhile, Congress leader and Deputy CM G Parameshwara said that he has not seen Siddaramaiah’s video but exuded confidence that the coalition government headed by HD Kumaraswamy will complete five years term.

“I am saying it officially that we will run the government for five years. I am saying it, I am the party (state) president…what will happen in politics when, no one can predict, but we have agreed that we will run the government for five years,” he said.