Amidst speculation of infighting in the Congress-JD(S) coalition, a video of Nikhil Kumaraswamy's statement went viral on social media.
Discord in the Congress-JD(S) coalition government has led to many leaders in both parties instructing their cadre to be prepared in case of snap polls. On Thursday, a video of Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy’s son, Nikhil Kumaraswamy, informing JD(S) party workers to start preparing for elections has gone viral. “We may have to go to polls at any given point of time. It may be in a few months, a year or two years. We must be ready for any situation that is presented to us. We will have to begin working for it now,” Nikhil is heard saying in the video while talking to party workers in Mandya. The third-generation aspiring politician told his party cadre that there is no threat to the government and Kumaraswamy would continue to be the Chief Minister for the next four years. “There is no doubt Kumaraswamy will complete his term as the CM but we have to be ready to face elections at any point of time,” he said. After suffering a crushing defeat against independent candidate Sumalatha Ambareesh in the Mandya Lok Sabha segment, Nikhil Kumaraswamy vowed to remain in the district and begin work to strengthen the JD(S) cadre. Nikhil Gowda’s statement comes just two days after veteran Congress leaders blamed Siddaramaiah and his supporters for the party’s defeat in the Lok Sabha elections. Several veterans including HK Patil, Roshan Baig and Ramalinga Reddy have openly criticized Siddaramaiah, alleging that the humiliation suffered by the party was simply because Siddaramaiah was misguiding the high command into making wrong decisions. Ever since the coalition government came to power, he has kept the ‘Siddaramaiah for CM’ campaign on through his supporters, alleged these leaders. Several JD(S) and Congress leaders have also indicated that Siddaramaiah has become a hindrance for the smooth functioning of the coalition. Siddaramaiah has been accused of keeping KPCC President Dinesh Gundu Rao and former JD(S) President AH Vishwanath out of the coalition’s coordination committee. “Any decision regarding the government has to be a collective one taken by the coordination committee but no one is bothered to adhere to Siddaramaiah’s diktats any more. Kumaraswamy has started his village stay programme without even consulting the coordination committee. Ideally, both Congress and JD(S) leaders were to be a part of it. JD(S) is doing its own thing as they cannot rely on Siddaramaiah,” a JD(S) leader told TNM on condition of anonymity. JD(S) insiders say that Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy’s Grama Vastavya 2.0 (village stay 2.0) programme is all set to launch on June 21 in the Hyderabad-Karnataka region. Kumaraswamy is planning to stay at government schools and directly interact with the voters. Kumaraswamy had started this campaign in 2006 and had toured 47 villages across 30 districts in the state. “This is just a way to also get an understanding of the areas and constituencies where the JD(S) can expand its base. Relying on the coalition partner (Congress) is not an option at this point. They may pull out support at any point of time and we will be left in lurch. JD(S) cannot join hands with the BJP so this is an effective way to save the party from ruin. If the coalition breaks up, it will be because of the Congress leaders,” the JD(S) leader said.
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