From Our Special Correspondent
Daijiworld Media Network - Bengaluru

Bengaluru, Oct 28: The ruling Congress party will get comfortable majority to return to power on its own in the coming Assembly elections in Karnataka, said KPCC Chief Dr G Parameshwara in Bengaluru on Saturday.

Addressing a press conference at the Congress Bhavan on the eve of his completion of seven years as President of Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC), he said there was no question of any coalition with JD(S) as the party was confident of winning more than 113 seats in the 224 member House to form the government.

Refusing to predict the number of seats that the ruling Congress party was likely to win, Dr Parameshwara said he was not an astrologer nor psephology expert to make predictions.

Dr Parameshwara said he was proud to have served the Congress party as the KPCC President for seven years, which he said was a rare honour, as he would be leading the party for the second time in the Assembly elections in the State as also in the 2014 Lok Sabha polls besides elections to the Zilla, Taluk and Grama Panchayats twice and the urban local bodies as also numerous by-elections.

He said his confidence of the Congress party crossing the 113-seat mark to gain a simple majority on its own stemmed from the organisational strength and the performance of the State Government headed by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah in implementing almost all the 165 promises made to the people in the run-up to the 2013 assembly polls. The various pro-people welfare programmes implemented by the Government have benefitted more than four crore out of the State’s six crore population, he said and expressed confidence that the people will bless the party with a renewed mandate.

Answering questions from reporters, the KPCC Chief asserted that the party and the Government stood solidly behind the Bengaluru Development Minister K J George and declared that there was no need for the minister to resign merely because of filing of an FIR by the CBI in the suicide of DySP M K Ganapathy as there was no provision under law to register an FIR in the same case twice.

The CID had filed an FIR in the suicide case following directions from the Madikeri sessions judge. The minister had tendered his resignation voluntarily and was reinstated after the CID completed its investigation and submitted its report filing a B report. Under Section 154 of Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC), there is no provision to register another FIR in the same case. Thus, the FIR registered by CBI is only a continuation of the old case, Dr Parameshwara said and pointed out that the BJP leaders must know the basic niceties of law.

"Let the CBI complete its investigation and submit its report to the Supreme Court as mandated by it within three months. We will decide what to do later. The BJP leaders must have the patience to await the CBI report or the apex court’s orders," he said and wondered why the BJP was not following the same yardsticks of asking its ministers facing FIRs to resign.

Asked about the threat of State BJP leaders not to allow the functioning of the forthcoming winter session of the State Legislature at Belagavi, the KPCC Chief said: "It is their prerogative to participate or not to. If they wish to boycott and refuse to take part in the deliberations, let them do so and answer the people. The people are clever enough to see through their game and political designs. But we are firm in our stand and will not budge."

As many as 111 MPs of ruling BJP at the Centre were facing criminal cases, including murder charges against 11 persons. As many as 15 ministers in the Central and State Cabinets from BJP were facing serious criminal cases, the KPCC Chief said pointing out that State BJP President and former Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa was himself facing serious criminal cases with at least 12 State BJP leaders and MLAs were facing similar grave offences. "Let them first follow what they preach and expect of others," he said.

Dr Parameshwara made it clear that he had no differences with Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and declared that the party will face the elections under his leadership as head of the Congress government and himself as KPCC President.

"Our first goal and objective is to return to power with a comfortable majority. All of us will work unitedly and fight the election under collective leadership," he said making it clear that the elected representatives will decide their next leader of the Congress Legislature Party as per its tradition. The AICC observers and the party high command will take the final decision, he said.

To a question on the speculation in political circles on the possibility of fielding Chief Minister’s son, Dr Yatheendra, and the kith and kin of several Congress leaders, including Ministers and MLAs, the KPCC Chief made it clear winnability was the main criterion and the party will take the final call based on the ground realities and assessments.

He, however, said there was nothing wrong in kith and kin of party leaders aspiring for tickets or for working for the party. The same yardstick will be applied to the seven rebel JD(S) MLAs, he said and clarified that the party has not made any promises on automatic selection, he said answering another question.