Congress, Janata Dal-Secular (JD-S) Call For End To Verbal Sparring In Karnataka

Bengaluru: Ahead of the results for Karnataka’s 28 Lok Sabha seats on Thursday, the warring Congress and Janata Dal-Secular (JD-S) ruling allies in the state on Monday called for a ‘ceasefire’ amid acrimonious remarks against each other by leaders of both parties. “I appeal to the leaders of both the parties to refrain from making any controversial remarks or commenting in the public or to the media against each other,” tweeted Congress state unit chief Dinesh Gundu Rao in Kannada here.

Rao’s appeal came a day after Congress President Rahul Gandhi directed the party’s state leaders, ministers and legislators to refrain from criticising their counterparts in the JD-S. Expressing concern over charges and counter-charges between leaders of both the allies over the last fortnight, Gandhi told the party’s state unit leaders in New Delhi that they should work with the JD-S in the spirit of coalition dharma and prevent any threat to the year-old coalition government in the southern state.

“I request you all to maintain cordiality with the JD-S leaders, including its Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy, its supremo H.D. Deve Gowda and others as the coalition government has to sustain and serve the people of the state,” Gandhi told party leaders. Besides Rao, the party’s legislature leader and former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, Deputy Chief Minister G. Parameshwara and Congress state unit in-charge K.C. Venugopal met Gandhi to ensure there won’t be any adverse impact on the coalition government after the parliamentary poll results on May 23. In a pre-poll arrangement, the allies fielded joint candidates in all the 28 seats, with the Congress in 21 and the JD-S in seven seats across the state for the elections that were held in two phases on April 18 and April 23. (IANS)

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