Congress leader and Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister G Parameshwara on Thursday said the state’s coalition government will complete its five-year term at any cost. The Congress and the Janata Dal (Secular) forged a post-poll alliance in May to form the government in Karnataka, but Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy belongs to the JD(S) despite Congress being the larger party.
Parameshwara said many people have doubts about the coalition government. “I want to give one assurance that at any cost, at any compromise, we will complete five years,” he said while seated next to Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy at an event in Bengaluru. “There should not be any doubt about it in Bengaluru or elsewhere.”
Parameshwara said the intention behind forming the coalition government was to offer Karnataka good governance. “…The coalition government was formed for the sake of Karnataka and not for our selfishness,” he said. “We want Karnataka to grow further and become a role model in the country.”
Parameshwara’s comments come days after HD Kumaraswamy said he was “not happy about being the chief minister” and that the post was “not a bed of roses”. He later denied any rift with alliance partner Congress, and said he was misquoted.
After Kumaraswamy’s tearful speech on July 14, the Congress downplayed his remarks. Parameshwara insisted that the chief minister was happy and had to be so. “He must be happy, the chief minister has to be always happy,” Parameshwara had said. “If he is happy, we will all be happy.”
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