JDS-BJP ties: Janata Dal-Secular leader H D Kumaraswamy on Monday (July 17) termed the talks of an electoral tie-up with the BJP for the next year’s Lok Sabha polls as “premature” and said that there is still a lot of time remaining for the elections.
“(Lok Sabha) Elections are still 8-9 months away. Let's see,” Kumaraswamy said.
Speculations have been rife that Kumaraswamy may join hands with the BJP and for this purpose, he has put forth a condition that he be given the post of the Leader of the Opposition in the Karnataka Assembly, sources said.
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Further, hitting out at the Congress over the Opposition meeting being held in Bengaluru, the JDS leader said that the grand old party is not bothered about the suicide of farmers.
Kumaraswamy cited media reports and said 42 farmers have died by suicide in Karnataka and the Congress government in the State is not worried over this.
“The government has not even appealed to the farmers not to take extreme steps,” he alleged.
Without referring to the Congress, the former Chief Minister said banners have been put up along the roads here for the meeting of the Opposition and they are trying to project the event as if they have made some great achievement that no one else has done.
“The Congress is under an illusion that the JD (S) is finished," he said.
Notably, Congress won 135 seats in the Assembly elections held this year and the BJP bagged 66 while the JD(S) headed by former Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda managed to win only 19.
(With PTI inputs)
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