'Don't know what will happen after one year'

A day after Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy expressed doubts over the longevity of the JD(S)-Congress coalition government, former prime minister H D Deve Gowda on Saturday echoed similar views.

Speaking to reporters in Pavagada after taking part in the inauguration of a temple, Gowda said, “It is God’s blessings that a national party that has won 78 seats has supported a party that won 38 seats. Kumarswamy is pained that he did not get majority. He is suffering a lot because of this. God is testing him, despite giving him power. He has to struggle to pass this exam.”

He said though Kumaraswamy had promised farm loan waiver and pension for senior citizens, he failed to get majority. “The coalition government will surely complete one year. I don’t know what will happen thereafter. However, the Congress has asked Kumaraswamy to serve as chief minister for five years,” he said.

The fissures in the government came to the fore on Saturday with senior JD(S) leader Basavaraj Horatti expressing apprehension that the Congress was armtwisting Kumarswamy and not allowing him to function smoothly. As a result of this, the coalition government may not last long, he told reporters in Dharwad.

Horatti said Kumarswamy was interested in overall development of the State but the Congress was applying brakes to his model of development.

‘The Congress had proposed formation of a coalition government saying its support was unconditional. But, now the Congress is putting hurdles at every stage. Considering this, Kumarswamy has restricted his tenure as chief minister for just one year” Horatti said.

“The leaders who demanded Lingayat religion have been snubbed by denying Cabinet berth”, he said. Being a senior legislator he should not have been denied a berth in the Kumarswamy Cabinet, he added.