JD(S)' farmer tour meet doubles as MLA outreach

NT Correspondent

Bengaluru: The JD(S) found an additional utility for its “Raitha Santwana Yatre” (Farmer Relief Tour) meeting which took place on Saturday.

The meeting gave JD(S) state president Kumaraswamy and Gowda family loyalists who are already on board with the pre-poll Lok Sabha alliance with the BJP the opportunity to convince disgruntled JD(S) MLAs that the tie-up would be good for the party.

The tour has been planned after the winter session, which is slated to be held in Belagavi. Assembly Speaker UT Khader had announced that the winter session would likely get underway in Belagavi’s Suvarna Vidhana Soudha on December 4.

Kumaraswamy said that the tour was supposed to instill confidence in farmers reeling under drought. The regional party has formed 31 teams in as many districts.

They have been asked to study the drought in each district and submit a report by November 18. Interestingly, 18 of the 19 MLAs are a part of the teams and have agreed to put in the work and target the State government over their handling of the drought.

This includes Devadurga MLA Karemma who had declared that “there would be no alliance” between the BJP and JD(S) in her constituency. She is a part of the Raichur team.

Kandakur not included

The only MLA who has been left out is Sharanagouda Kandakur, who represents Gurmitkal in Yadgir district. Back in September, he had been vocal about opposing the alliance with the BJP.

These tensions are not new since most MLAs had suggested that the JD(S) steer clear of an alliance with the saffron party for fears that it would alienate their Muslim support base in Old Mysuru and elsewhere.

The teams such as the one in Mandya would include former MLA CS Puttaraju and MLA HT Manju, among others. The Mysuru team would include Chamundeshwari MLA GT Deve Gowda.

The Hassan team would comprise of Kumaraswamy’s brother HD Revanna and his sons MP Prajwal and MLC Suraj, besides Hassan MLA HP Swaroop. The Chikkamagaluru team would include former MLA YSV Datta. There is bitter ness about Kumaraswamy allying with the BJP for allegedly selfish reasons like becoming the shadow CM rather than saving the party which is undergoing an existential crisis.

Kumaraswamy face of oppn as LOP unnamed

Meanwhile, some in the JD(S) believe that the BJP not appointing a Leader of Opposition has cleared the decks for Kumaraswamy to become the virtual face of the anti-Congress front.