Cong seeks to mollify JDS in the wake of CM’s ‘Chakravyuh’ remarks

Team Udayavani, Apr 7, 2019, 10:23 AM IST

Bengaluru: With fissures in the ruling front coming to the fore again ahead of Lok Sabha elections, Congress’ Karnataka unit chief Dinesh Gundu Rao Saturday said a meeting has been convened with its coalition partner, the JDS, here Sunday to sort out the problems.

The statement comes in the wake of Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy accusing the Congress and others of hatching a ‘chakravyuh’, a deadly formation in the epic Mahabharata, to defeat his son and JDS nominee Nikhil in the Mandya Lok Sabha seat.

Conceding that there were problems in Mandya, Rao told PTI, “Almost all the problems are solved and we will solve the Mandya problem also.

Tomorrow we will be having a meeting where we will be taking a decision.”

Rao reiterated that Nikhil would win without any doubt.

While 80 per cent of the Congress workers were toiling to ensure Nikhils victory, the remaining were creating problems, he said.

“To sort out our problems, a meeting has been convened in Bengaluru Sunday where prominent leaders of Mandya will participate,” Rao asserted.

The Congress state president said there were directions from the party high command to ensure the JDS candidates’ victory.

“Rahul Gandhi has said the party should see that the JD(S) candidates are elected.

If that does not happen then, if our workers are creating problems, then either that has to be sorted out or the party will take serious action against them,” Rao said.

According to party sources, Chaluvaraya Swamy, Ramesh Bandi Siddegowda, Narendra Swamy, Ganiga Ravi, K B Chandrashekhar and Ravishankar are among the prominent leaders from Mandya who would attend the meeting Sunday.

Bringing to the fore again deep fissures in the Congress-JDS front, Kumaraswamy Friday lashed out at the Congress and others for “colluding” with independent candidate and film actress Sumalatha, wife of late Congress leader and actor Ambareesh, in Mandya, instead of working for Nikhil.

He was replying to queries on JD(S) supremo and his father H D Deve Gowda’s remarks that things have gone out of hand in Mandya, which goes to polls on April 18, and even former chief minister and Congress strongman Siddaramaiah cannot reverse it.

‘Chakravyuh’ is a deadly battle formation narrated in the Mahabharata in which Arjuna’s son Abhimanyu was trapped and killed by the Kauravas.

The BJP is backing Sumalatha instead of fielding its candidate.

There is widespread resentment within the local Congress over the JDS being alloted the seat under an electoral arrangement between the coalition partners.

Disgruntled JD(S) leaders are also reportedly working against the third generation of the mighty Deve Gowda clan.

Gowda’s another grandson Prajwal Revanna, son of minister H D Revanna, is contesting from Hassan, where also a similar situation prevails with the Congress at the grassroot level openly expressing opposition to the JDS.

According to the coalition arrangement, JD(S) is contesting in seven seats and the Congress, 21.