Congress unfazed by JD(S)-BJP alliance: K'taka Home Minister Parameshwara

Karnataka’s Home Minister, G Parameshwara, took a dig at the alliance between Janata Dal (Secular) and BJP, asserting that it has no impact on the Congress.

In a press interaction, he highlighted the party’s strengthened position since the two opposition parties in the state joined forces. “It doesn’t affect us. The moment they got together, our prospectus was strengthened… We have better prospects because they joined together…” he said.

JD(S) joined the NDA last September after talks with Union Home Minister Amit Shah and BJP national president J P Nadda. Both parties plan to contest the Karnataka Lok Sabha elections together. In the previous state Legislative Assembly elections, JD(S) won 19 seats, while Congress and BJP secured 135 and 66 seats respectively.

Former Karnataka chief minister and JD(S) state president H D Kumaraswamy has said that he had an important meeting with Amit Shah and J P Nadda in New Delhi regarding preparations for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.

Regarding the Ram Temple inauguration, G Parameshwara called PM Modi’s Ayodhya visit to Ayodhya for ‘Pran Pratishtha’ a ‘political’ move and said that there are more pressing issues.

“There are better issues (than Ram Temple). There are issues of financial and economic, poverty alleviation and unemployment,… which we are going to take up in the coming Lok Sabha elections. Of course, the issue of Ram Mandir will also be there, but we will handle it. No problem, because Congress also believes in our approach to Hinduism. We are also Hindus. There are millions of congressmen who are Hindus. We are not different… Everybody knows that the elections are forthcoming. PM’s visit is also political,” the Karnataka minister said.

(With ANI inputs)