Miffed JD(S) leader threatens to quit

The selection of Syed Mudeer Aga, as the JD(S) candidate from the Assembly for the Council polls has not gone down well with the party Secretary Abdul Azim.

Miffed by his non-selection, the party National Executive member on Friday threatened to resign, accusing the party State president H D Kumaraswamy of nurturing a grudge against him. Aga is a close aide of Kumaraswamy.

“He and his group have developed hatred for me. The party should have consulted me before finalising the candidate. As I have lost confidence in the party leaders, I am planning to resign. I will take the decision after consulting my followers,” he said.

He alleged that Kumaraswamy spiked his chances of becoming Legislative Council Deputy Chairman in 2009. “Though Deve Gowda had proposed his name for the post, Kumaraswamy ensured that his follower Puttanna is elected.”

On Kumaraswamy’s reported statement that he was free to quit the party, Azim said: “The party does not belong to Kumaraswamy alone.”