CM apprises Venugopal of political situation

Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy is understood to have, on Sunday, apprised AICC general secretary incharge of Karnataka K C Venugopal on the political situation in the state and steps taken to protect the coalition government.

Kumaraswamy is learnt to have informed the Congress leader that he had been making efforts to pacify former minister MLA Ramesh Jarkiholi, who had recently threatened to resign along with his MLA friends in the Congress. He is also learnt to have suggested certain measures that the Congress should take to quell the dissident activities.

It is the chief minister who is learnt to have stopped Ramesh from taking the extreme step of resigning as MLA. Ramesh, whose running spat with his brothers in Belagavi district had turned ugly, is upset with the Congress leaders for sidelining him.

Besides, Kumaraswamy and Venugopal discussed the strategy for winning the byelections to Kundagol and Chincholi Assembly constituencies scheduled on May 19. The coalition partners have to win the bypolls in order to shore up their numbers in the Assembly. The Congress has fielded Kusuma, widow of former minister C S Shivalli, and Subash Rathod from Chicholi.

State Congress president Dinesh Gundu Rao told reporters that Kumaraswamy and Venugopal discussed the recently concluded Lok Sabha polls in Karnataka and the upcoming bypolls. The Congress-JD(S) combine will win more than 20 seats in the state.

“There is no Modi wave this time. If it is there, it is only in the media. There is a strong undercurrent in favour of the Congress. The May 23 results will establish it,” he stated.