Kumaraswamy deriding Kannadigas, alleges BJP

BJP leader B S Yeddyurappa on Monday flayed Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy's remark that he was at the "mercy" of Congress and not the people of state.

Addressing the reporters, Yeddyurappa said "Kumaraswamy must apologise for his statement. 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," he said.

Union Minister D V Sadananda Gowda took to twitter asking Kumaraswamy if he would compromise the interests of Kannadigas just to retain power.

The party said that Kumaraswamy should not have "stooped" so low. "This statement of H D Kumaraswamy proves that he cares two hoots to six crore people of Karnataka. A democratically elected CM could not have stooped much lower than this in deriding his own people.

"One can only imagine the kind of loot he will preside to impress his Congress bosses," the BJP in Karnataka tweeted. BJP's IT cell chief chief Amit Malviya termed the chief minster's remarks as "the most brazen admission ever" and expressed apprehensions that Karnataka "will bleed" under the present state government "while JDS-Congress fill up their coffers".

"I dread to think what will happen to the state when the Chief Minister doesn't feel compelled to serve the people, but the party that put him in power. Karnataka will bleed while JDS-Congress fill up their coffers," he said.

Reiterating that he is at the 'mercy of Congress', Kumaraswamy said that his responsibility towards the state is different and he will deliver his job as the chief minister.

Earlier on Sunday, Kumaraswamy said that he was at the 'mercy' of the 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.

"I asked people for clear mandate to do their bidding. But now, I am here indebted to Congress. Some people say that I had said that I wouldn't take anyone's support to form govt. Who are they to tell me? There are some compulsions in politics," Kumaraswamy told reporters.

On May 23, Kumaraswamy of Janata Dal (Secular) was sworn-in as the 24th chief minister of Karnataka, marking the beginning of the JD(S)-Congress alliance in the state.

The Congress-Janata Dal (Secular) alliance together with two independent candidates has 117 MLAs, six more than the simple-majority mark required to form a government in the state.