Bengaluru, Sep 3 (DHNS): The Congress was thrown into a tizzy on Wednesday after JD(S) chief H D Deve Gowda told the party to drop the controversial agenda of restructuring BBMP, to facilitate an alliance in the council.
Unlike Gowda, his son H D Kumaraswamy was vocal on the condition. He said if the Congress wants to align with his party, then the restructuring decision should be off.
Gowda is understood to have conveyed the condition to KPCC chief G Parameshwara, who met the JD(S) chief at his Padmanabhanagar residence seeking an alliance. Gowda is learnt to have harangued the State Congress chief on how division of big cities like Delhi into smaller corporations has not served any purpose. He asked Parameshwara to hold further discussion on the issue with Kumaraswamy.
Rattled by Gowda's condition, the Congress leaders, including Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, Parameshwara and senior ministers, went into a huddle till late in the evening but failed to arrive at any decision. Transport Minister Ramalinga Reddy, however, said Gowda has not set any conditions.
Restructuring Bengaluru municipal area is the main agenda of the Congress and one of the key promises in the 2013 Assembly poll manifesto.
Kumaraswamy, when contacted, said if the Congress is not ready to budge from its stand, then there is no question of having any sort of understanding.
Asked whether the Congress had accepted the condition, Kumaraswamy said, “I do not know because Parameshwara interacted with my father.” To a question whether he would be meeting Parameshwara or any other Congress leader to take the discussion further, he replied in the negative. He said, “At this juncture I don’t see any merit in meeting anyone as it is not clear whether the Congress would meet our demand. Our condition is that Brand Bengaluru should not be dented by division.” He said he was of the personal view that the JD (S) should remain neutral. But some in the party thought otherwise and began talks with the Congress, he added.
Kumaraswamy said, the BJP when in power hardly did anything for Bengaluru. The Congress too in the last two years did nothing. Even if the BJP steers the Palike administration again, the Congress would not sanction funds. The Palike has gone pauper, he noted.
The JD(S) has been vehemently opposing the proposal to re-structure BBMP. So much so that it had recently joined hands with the BJP in the Karnataka legislative council and forced the ruling party to refer the controversial bill aimed at re-structuring to the select committee. The bill is currently pending before President of India for his assent. If the President gives his assent, the BBMP will cease to exist.
KPCC chief meets Deve Gowda
From Our Special Correspondent
Daijiworld Media Network - Bengaluru
Bengaluru, Sep 3: With the countdown for electing the Mayor of the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP), which went to polls recently, having begun as September 11 being fixed as the date, a tie-up between ruling Congress party in Karnataka and JD(S) appeared imminent after KPCC chief Dr G Parameshwara called on JD(S) supremo H D Deve Gowda at the latter’s Padmanabha Nagar residence in the city on Wednesday.
The meeting between the State Congress party president and the JD(S) National President was preceded by a meeting of Dr Parameshwara with the State Cjief Minister Siddaramaiah at the latter’s official residence Cauvery.
Interestingly, some of the key leaders of JD(S) were present during the meeting between Siddaramaiah and Parameshwara to thrash out the modalities and nitty-gritties of the deal between the two parties to gain control of the civic body.
Some of the JD(S) leaders, especially the former minister and close confidant of former chief minister and State JD(S) chief H D Kumaraswamy, Z A Zameer Ahmad Khan, who is also a city MLA from Chamarajapet assembly constituency, took the initiative to forge ties between the two parties "in the interest of development of Bengaluru."
After the meeting, Dr Parameshwara accompanied by Zameer Ahmed Khan, who played a key role in making the alliance possible and State Transport Minister Ramalinga Reddy, who is also the Bengaluru in-charge minister, visited former Prime Minister and JD(S) supremo H.D. Deve Gowda at his residence in Padmanabha Nagar.
Dr Parameshwara told the media, after meeting the former Prime Minister, thathe (Gowda) reiterated his earlier stand on supporting the alliance keeping interest of city in mind and the process of alliance would move on further.
Gowda said that he was aware of the meeting held at the residence of Siddaramaiah and asked Dr Parameshwara to hold talks with JD(S) state chief H D Kumaraswamy when Congress state chief met him in the morning.
"I did not speak anything except clarifying the fact that my decision is aimed survival of JD(S)," Gowda clarified.
He said the corporators, who were staying in Kerala, fearing attempts of poaching by the BJP, which was an expert in executing Operation Kamala, would return once, notification on Mayor and Deputy Mayor was issued.