Karnataka crisis: JD-S calls for legislative party meeting

Karnataka Congress leader DK Shivakumar (Photo: File/ IANS)


Amidst the clamour to save the Janata Dal-Secular (JD-S) and Congress coalition government in Karnataka, the Janata Dal (Secular) has called for a legislative party meet later on Sunday as Karnataka Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy, who is on a trip to the US, is set to return to India shortly.

The JD-S-Congress government is staring into an uncertain future as more than a dozen legislators, on Saturday, resigned from their respective Assembly segments.

DK Shivakumar, Congress MLA from Kanakapura and the Irrigation, Kannada and Culture Minister in the Government of Karnataka informed that his party too shall call a party meeting and iron out the differences if any within the party or between the two ruling partners. He expressed confidence that the issue would be sorted out amicably and that the MLAs who have resigned will come back.

“They (JDS) have called a meeting of their party leaders. We will also call our party leaders and sort out this issue. I’m confident things will cool down immediately. In interest of the nation and both the parties we have to run the government smoothly. I’m confident the MLAs will come back,” Shivakumar was quoted by ANI as saying.

Earlier, JD(S) leaders HD Revanna, D Kupendra Reddy, HK Kumaraswamy, and DC Thammanna had joined the meeting between Congress leader and Karnataka Minister DK Shivakumar and JD(S) leader and former PM HD Deve Gowda in Bengaluru.

Meanwhile, Congress leader Siddaramaiah blamed the BJP for the political crisis in Karnataka. “This clearly shows that BJP is behind all these defections. It is Operation Kamala. Everything is fine. Don’t worry. Government will survive. There is no threat to the govt.