Worked like a slave for 14 months, says HDK

Bengaluru: Former Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy said that he had worked like a slave for fourteen months for Congress during the tenure of his government.

“I had given full freedom to all the MLAs, and even corporation chairmen, why they are blaming me I don’t know. For the last 14 months, I worked like a slave for these MLAs and our coalition partner (Congress). Why they are blaming me? I don’t know,” Kumaraswamy was quoted speaking to ANI.

The JD(S) leader said that several Congress leaders didn’t want to form the coalition government. “After the fractured verdict in our state, Congress leadership wholeheartedly wanted to join hands with JD(S) and they wanted to form the government. But, some local leaders were not interested according to my sources,” Kumaraswamy said.

“From day one, the way a section of the Congress leaders behaved and reacted in the public, everybody knows it,” he added.

“Even when MLAs used to come without taking an appointment, I met them. Whatever requests they had for the development of their constituencies, I took decisions on them immediately. What previous Congress government couldn’t achieve, I did in 14 months. I have allocated more than Rs 19,000 crore in 14 months to constituencies of Congress MLAs,” he said.

The Congress-JD(S) coalition government in Karnataka headed by H D Kumaraswamy collapsed on July 22 night capping a 14-month long turbulent tenure, losing a vote of confidence in the Assembly, setting the stage for the BJP’s return to power in the southern state.

After losing the trust vote which missed a couple of deadlines, Kumaraswamy, 59, went to Raj Bhavan and submitted his resignation to Governor Vajubhai Vala. The resignation was accepted with immediate effect but Kumaraswamy was asked to continue as caretaker chief minister till alternative arrangements are made.