india

Updated: Jun 21, 2019 23:28 IST

Amid strained ties with coalition partner Congress in Karnataka, former Prime Minister and Janata Dal (Secular) president HD Deve Gowda on Friday claimed that midterm elections were inevitable. Later, he clarified that he had meant local body elections in 2020.

“There is no doubt that there will be midterm polls… They (Congress) had given us their word that they will support the government, but I am watching how they are behaving,” Gowda told reporters on Friday morning, after he held a display of yoga at his house on the occasion of International Yoga Day.

His remark comes at a time when the Congress-JD(S) coalition is going through a rough patch following its poor show in the general elections. Deve Gowda also said his son HD Kumaraswamy became chief minister on the insistence of the Congress, because he had proposed the name of Mallikarjun Kharge [of the Congress] for CM’s post. “People in that party [Congress] feel that their party will be finished if they continue in alliance with us. They say the sooner this coalition is ended the better,” Gowda said. “I wasn’t adamant on making this coalition government. They approached me.... I told them to make Kharge the chief minister,” he said, adding that the high command insisted that Kumaraswamy should take that post instead. Later, addressing a convention of JD(S) workers in the city, Gowda said he had meant local body polls in 2020.

“I appeal to the press; there is no need to misunderstand what I said. The coalition government will continue; it has nothing to do with me. Congress and JD(S) have an understanding,” he said.

He made another controversial remark at the JD(S) convention. A day after the CM and his deputy Parameshwara released a book detailing the achievements of the coalition government, Deve Gowda raised questions over the absence of many ministers at the event. “How many ministers were present when the booklet was released? I saw everything. They might have had other work, but there were only three or four people. This isn’t just Kumaraswamy’s government, it’s a coalition government,” he said.

Later, Kumaraswamy said: “He spoke about how the coalition government was formed. He only spoke about local body elections...He has already clarified. There is no doubt that this government will finish its full term.”

Congress’s Karnataka unit president Dinesh Gundu Rao said he would speak to Deve Gowda about the statement.

On Thursday, news reports suggested that former CM Siddaramaiah had advised Rahul Gandhi to sever ties with JD(S) because it was hurting the party.