Kumaraswamy is at Congress' mercy, Yeddyurappa takes did at Karnataka CM

BENGALURU: Bharatiya Janata Party leader B S Yeddyurappa on Monday took a dig at Karnataka Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy asking him to apologise for his statement of serving the Congress and not the people of the state. The saffron party leader reminded him that he took oath as the Chief Minister to serve the people of Karnataka, not the Congress party.

Attacking the Congress-JDS alliance in the state, "I want to remind him that he took oath as the Chief Minister to serve the people of Karnataka, not Congress party. He cannot work as the CM of Congress party. It is clear that Kumaraswamy is at the mercy of Congress: BS Yeddyurappa

Kumaraswamy had on Sunday said he was at the 'mercy' of Congress and not the 6.5 crore people of Karnataka as his government had not received the full mandate which his party had sought in the assembly elections.

Ahead of his Delhi visit to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other union ministers, he reiterated that farm loan waiver was his priority as he had promised and he would resign if he failed to fulfill it.

However, he reminded people that JDS did not get an absolute majority, which meant he and his party were rejected by the electorate.

His remarks had come in the wake of BJP's call for a state-wide bandh on May 28, demanding immediate waiver of farm loans, as promised by the JD(S) in their manifesto.

BJP state president had on May 25 announced a state-wide bandh on May 28 if farm loans worth Rs 53,000 crore were not waived by then.

JDS leadership has been saying they have to seek the consent of its coalition partner Congress before taking any decision.

To a question on the Congress demand that the finance portfolio be given to it, he said it was quite natural for them to ask it as some in the party believed they could deliver better.

He brushed aside talk of a tussle between the two coalition partners over the distribution of portfolios.

(With inputs from PTI)