Speaking to DH from Yelandur taluk in Chamarajanagar over phone, Mahesh said that his statements had been “misinterpreted” by the media, and that he had not intended to attack the Congress and the JD(S).
Mahesh, in fact, said that he would advise his party supremo, Mayawati, to continue the electoral alliance in Karnataka during the Lok Sabha elections. He also went on to say that he would continue extending his support to the Congress-JD(S) coalition, in the event he is asked to step down as a minister.
Mahesh had created political ripples in Karnataka on October 4 (Thursday), when he held the Congress, BJP and the JD(S) responsible for the socio-economic inequality of the country. He was speaking at a BSP event at Chamarajanagar.
His remarks assumed significance in the state politics, as it came a day after Mayawati boycotted the Congress ahead of the Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan state elections.
“I merely said that the Congress and the BJP at the Centre were responsible for the socio-economic inequality in the country, which resulted in the emergence of the BSP. It was a call to my party cadres to gear up for the Lok Sabha elections. It was an ideological stand, and not a political stance. If the two national parties had effectively implemented the constitutional provisions, there would be no inequality today. I have no confusion in my stance. I wasn’t even aware of the decision taken by Behenji. But the current developments at the national level, has nothing to do with Karnataka politics,” he said.
Mahesh, who doled out praises for the JD(S), also said that he had at no point targeted the regional party. “I have targeted only the Congress and the BJP, not the JD(S). The JD(S) has no intentions of dropping me from the Cabinet,” he said, adding that he has no intentions of exiting the Cabinet.
The Primary and Secondary Education minister, who strongly advocated the continuance of the Congress-JD(S)-BSP alliance, said that the bond between the three parties was “intact” in Karnataka.
“If Behenji asks me to come out, I will abide by it. But I am good with Congress and JD(S) leaders here and I will extend my support to the two parties as a BSP MLA. This coalition government should survive for five years. I attended the cabinet meeting yesterday. There wasn’t an iota of confusion among the leaders. If this alliance continues in Karnataka - it will be a formidable force against the BJP. This is what the people are expecting. If secular forces want to fight communal forces, we have to come together. The alliance will help all three parties,” he said.