Congress sees Siddaramaiah as main problem in Karnataka

New Delhi, June 24: Congress high command is concerned about the fate of the Karnataka government.

It's notable that since the Congress formed a coalition government in the state with Janata Dal (Secular) led by HD Deve Gowda, the leaders of both the parties have been at loggerheads.

Deve Gowda sent ripples across political circles by claiming that mid-term polls in Karnataka will be held very soon.

Talking to news channels after performing Yoga on the International Yoga Day, the octogenarian leader said, "They [Congress] said they will support us for five years, but their behaviour hasn't been in line with this promise. Our people are smart. They are watching them [Congress]."

Everything was in the hands of the Congress which had promised support for full five years, he added.

it's notable that both Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy and the former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah had been given the responsibility of running the coalition government for five years.

Saying that JDS has accepted all "arbitrary demands" of the Congress to run the government, Deve Gowda also said that he didn't want his son HD Kumaraswamy to be the chief minister of Karnataka.

Deve Gowda also claimed that the coalition in Karnataka was formed due to pressure by the Congress.

He later retracted and claimed that media twisted his statement on local body elections.

It's notable that Deve Gowda, during a recent meeting with All-India Congress Committee president Rahul Gandhi, said Congress leaders should be asked to stop making disparaging remarks in public about the coalition government.

The Congress leaders here in Delhi accept that everything is not right in Karnataka and there is discontent between the local leaders of the two parties.

They say that the real problem is former Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, who is not ready to understand the difficulties of the Congress high command and is not ready to forget his animosity with the JD (S).

The Congress high command must find a way to control Siddaramaiah otherwise the situation in Karnataka will become uncontrollable, says a senior Congress leader who hails from the state.

Sources in Congress say that efforts to bring Siddaramaiah to Delhi for organisational work have failed as he is not ready for it.

Even the Karnataka In-charge KC Venugopal has also failed to control Siddaramaiah. Considering the situation, it is also being mulled to make a very senior Congress leader in-charge of Karnataka, says a party insider.

Before Deve Gowda, his son and Chief Minister Kumaraswamy had on few occasions said that he was facing difficulty to run the government because of the local Congress leaders.

It's not only that JD (S) leadership is miffed with Siddaramaiah.

In May before the Lok Sabha elections results, Senior Karnataka Congress leader and MLA Roshan Baig appealed to Muslims to join hands with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) if it returns to power.

Baig did not mince words in criticising the state Congress leadership. He held Siddaramaiah, Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) president Dinesh Gundu, KC Venugopal, and for conducting a "flop poll campaign".

Both Congress and JD (S) have performed very poorly in the Lok Sabha elections in Karnataka.