HDK to meet Congress MLAs to douse disgruntlement

With resentment against his government brewing among a section of Congress MLAs, Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy is learnt to have decided to hold talks with the legislators and sort out their issues.

Sources in the chief minister’s office said Kumaraswamy will be available to meet the legislators over the next few days. He wants to meet the legislators in person, listen to their woes, if any, and find solutions.

He will stay in Bengaluru for the next one week, the sources said.

Many of the Congress legislators are said to be upset with Kumaraswamy’s style of functioning.

Their main grouse is that the government was not helping them in taking up development works in their constituencies. Some of them are even complaining that Kumaraswamy had been promoting JD(S) leaders in their constituencies.

Congress MLA from Yeshwanthpur Assembly constituency S T Somashekar had recently convened a meeting of like-minded party legislators in Bengaluru to discuss these issues.

Somashekar, who is also Bengaluru Development Authority (BDA) chairman, is upset with the chief minister for not giving him the “freedom” to discharge his duties. He later postponed the meeting in view of the byelections to Kundgol and Chincholi Assembly seats.

Resentment and stability

Besides, it is feared that resentment among the legislators may threaten the stability of the coalition government. Rebel leaders such as Ramesh Jarkiholi are trying to get in touch with disgruntled Congress MLAs in order to muster support.

The chief minister has, therefore, decided to meet all the legislators and look into their problems, sources close Kumaraswamy said.

Opposition party, the BJP, too, has been waiting in the wings to destabilise the government. The saffron party leaders had been claiming that discontentment among the legislators of the ruling parties will erupt at once on May 23, the day Lok Sabha elections will be announced.