Bangalore: Barely two months after taking charge of the government in Karnataka, Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy broke down at a Janata Dal meeting Saturday, saying the coalition with the Congress was not working and compared himself to Lord Shiva, who drank poison to save the world. His deputy, G Parameshwara of the Congress, however, brushed off the reports, saying a Chief Minister “has to be always happy”.
The alliance between Kumaraswamy’s Janata Dal (Secular) and the Congress – formed to keep the BJP out of power in the state – has weathered several storms, including one over the deputy Chief Minister’s post and another over certain portfolios. The latest of these was over the presentation of the state budget, which Kumaraswamy’s predecessor Siddaramaiah was not in favour of.
At a party meeting Saturday, which was also meant to felicitate him, Kumaraswamy became emotional.
“You are standing with flowers on roads, near my house, to wish me… you all are happy as I became the Chief Minister, but I’m not… I’m not happy. I know the pain of the coalition government. I became vishakant (Lord Shiva who drank poison) and swallowing the pain of this coalition government,” he told party workers.
Talking about his difficulties, he said, “I aimed to the CM to not enjoy the power, but to solve the problems of the people of this state. I wanted to fulfill the unfinished agenda of my father which was to solve the problems of farmers, daily wage workers and downtrodden people, irrespective of their caste and religion.”
Kumaraswamy had openly stated earlier that he is at mercy of the Congress party for giving him a chance to be the CM of Karnataka. The Congress and the JD(S) joined hands after 14 years in Karnataka to form the current state government. Despite winning only 37 seats out of 222, JD(S) leader Kumaraswamy got the opportunity to hold the post of CM of Karnataka.
His deputy, Parameshwara, however, scoffed when asked about the matter. “How can he say that? He must be definitely happy, CM has to be always happy, if he’s happy we’ll all be happy,” he said.
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