‘Will decide in 2 days’:HDK still evasive on backing BJP in Dec 10 Council polls

By Shyam Sundar Vattam | NT

Bengaluru: The Janata Dal (Secular) will decide in a day or two on remaining neutral or extend support to the BJP in constituencies where the party has not fielded its candidates in the December 10 Council polls, said former CM and JD(S) leader, H.D. Kumaraswamy.

“Senior BJP leader and former CM B.S.Yediyurappa has mooted a tie-up with the JD(S) and is awaiting a response. I will discuss the proposal with my party leaders and will announce a decision in a day or two”, Kumaraswamy said.

He clarified that he had never spoken about extending support to the BJP but some leaders of that party have misread his statement and claimed that the JD(S) will support the saffron party. ‘’We will do what is required to ensure the victory of our party candidates. “Our target is the 2023 Assembly polls and we are focused on that. For the Council polls, we have fielded candidates where we have bright chances of victory. It is very childish to claim a tacit understanding between the BJP and JD(S). Except for Yediyurappa, no other BJP leader has sought our support. Keeping this in mind, we will make a decision in one or two days”.

Training his guns on former Speaker and Srinivasapura Congress MLA K.R. Rameshkumar that a Kolar Congress leader was responsible for the BJP fielding a candidate in the district in the coming Council Polls, Kumaraswamy, without naming Ramesh Kumar said, “a Congress leader is trying to finish off the Congress Party despite being in the same party. He is a good orator and a cunning politician, and is responsible for all the political conspiracies in Kolar district. In the 2018 Assembly polls, the BJP candidate polled just 200 votes. Despite knowing this, the party has fielded a candidate in the Council polls. The person behind this claims he is an honest and clean politician. Everybody knows who is responsible for the defeat of seven-time MP from Kolar, K.H. Muniyappa. Who is responsible for the victory of the BJP candidate in the 2019 LS polls? The same politician is now trying to wipe out the Congress from the district,’’ he added.