Former Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy on Thursday struck a conciliatory note on incumbent MP for Mandya Sumalatha.
Fielding reporters queries in Mysuru on her reported disappointment over the BJP’s decision to cede the constituency to Janata Dal (Secular) ignoring her claims for nomination, Mr. Kumaraswamy said she was not his “enemy”.
Expressing confidence that Ms. Sumalatha’s reported disappointment would be resolved soon, Mr. Kumaraswamy said he and Ms. Sumalatha’s late husband Ambareesh and grown together in politics. To a question, he said he would meet Ms. Sumalatha if such a need arises.
Responding to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s claim that Mr. Kumaraswamy was an “outsider” in Mandya and he would be defeated in the coming Lok Sabha polls, the JD (S) leader sought to know what was he when he went to Badami and contested the elections in 2018.
“I am a Kannadiga and will contest from which ever constituency people and my party workers want me to contest,” he said.
Further, Mr. Kumaraswamy said Mr. Siddaramaiah was a “migrant” even in the Congress. He accused the Chief Minister of casting all the “original” Congressmen into the “dustbin” and taking control of the party.
With regard to former Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda raising the issue of Mekedatu, Mr. Kumaraswamy said the JD (S) supremo was forced to make a trip to Delhi and discuss the matter with lawyers after DMK, an alliance partner of the Congress, vowed to prevent the construction of the Mekedatu reservoir in its pre-poll manifesto.
He sought to know what steps the Congress had taken with regard to the Mekedatu balancing reservoir project even though almost a year had elapsed since party came to power after taking out a padayatra for the project.
