india

Updated: Jul 09, 2019 23:42 IST

United Progressive Alliance (UPA) chairperson Sonia Gandhi on Tuesday stepped in to launch a fresh effort to “save” the Janata Dal (Secular)-Congress coalition government in Karnataka as she rushed two senior leaders — Ghulam Nabi Azad and BK Hariprasad — to Bengaluru to pacify the rebels.

A Congress leader familiar with the developments said Sonia Gandhi was urged by the state leaders to intervene and try to save the 13-month-old coalition government, which is on the verge of collapse after 13 MLAs— 10 of Congress and three of JD(S) — resigned on Saturday. One Congress MLA quit on Tuesday.

Karnataka minister DK Shivakumar had on Monday briefed the Congress leadership about the developments in the state. He had conveyed to the Congress leadership that the disgruntled MLAs do not want Kumaraswamy as the chief minister, a second Congress leader said on the condition of anonymity.

The assessment of a section of Karnataka Congress leaders is that the party has not gained much from its alliance with the JD(S). Leaders from this section argued that the party was at disadvantage in this alliance due to CM’s “misgovernance” and “declining popularity”. The disgruntled leaders have suggested that the Congress should either withdraw from the alliance or force the JD(S) to change the chief minister. “But that is not possible,” Shivakumar said.

Azad and Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot, who was then the Congress general secretary in-charge of organisation, were instrumental in stitching an alliance with the JD(S) after the assembly elections threw a hung verdict. The two leaders upstaged the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) by offering JD(S) leader HD Kumaraswamy to lead the coalition government. Earlier, Sonia Gandhi, who is also the Congress parliamentary party (CPP) chairperson, asked the LS members to vociferously raise the Karnataka issue in the House.Rahul Gandhi also attended the meeting, the Congress leader cited above said.

In the meeting, she asked party leader in the Lok Sabha, Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, to work in tandem with the allies. It was pointed out to her that the Congress members had staged a walkout in the House on Monday when DMK leader TR Baalu was speaking on the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test issue.She asked the party members to avoid a repeat of such a situation.

In the House later, Congress members staged a walkout over the Karnataka issue with their leader Chowdhury alleging that the BJP was indulging in “politics of poaching”.