Talk of electoral tie-up with BJP premature: Kumaraswamy

Janata Dal (Secular) leader H. D. Kumaraswamy on Monday termed “premature” talks of an electoral tie-up between his party and the BJP for the Lok Sabha elections next year. He also attacked the Congress over the meeting of Opposition leaders here, saying it’s trying to project it as a great achievement while the party-ruled Government in Karnataka is not bothered about the suicide of farmers.
On reports that the JD(S) may join hands with the BJP for the Parliamentary elections, he termed it “premature”. “Lok Sabha elections are still 8–9 months away. Let’s see”, Kumaraswamy told reporters here. Without referring to the Congress, the former Chief Minister said banners have been put up along the roads here for the meeting, and they are trying to project the event as if they have made some great achievement that no one else has done.
The JD(S) second-in-command charged the Congress government with not being bothered about farmers’ suicides.
In the Congress government’s budget presented recently, he said, on the pretext of implementing five ‘guarantees’ (poll promises), the agriculture sector has been ignored. Kumaraswamy said the government has not given any “message” till now to instill confidence among farmers. “I will call it a useless government because it has had no financial discipline from the beginning itself.
They are burdening people with loans. They are indulging in looting in the name of five guarantees,” he alleged.
Taking a dig at the grand show of the Mahagathbandhan’ meeting in Bengaluru, Kumaraswamy said, “The grand celebrations taking place here after inviting ‘great leaders of India’ and putting up their big posters right from the airport to the Taj Westend Hotel Are the celebrations taking place on the tombs of the farmers? This government should be ashamed of it.”
On speculation in some quarters that he may be made the Leader of Opposition in the Karnataka Legislative Assembly by the BJP, he said he has no information on the subject, adding that he is learning about such things from discussions happening in the media. He also ruled out that possibility.
Kumaraswamy said, “I have no invitation either from the (Congress-led) Mahagathbandhan or even from the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) (for its meeting). We will see when the invitation comes. We will decide after discussions in our party.” He said he would like to tell the BJP central leaders that there was neither any discussion with the JD(S) nor had he put forth any demand.