Congress top leaders ask Karnataka leaders not to make personal attack on JD(S) leaders

Congress' top leadership told its state leaders not to make personal attacks on Janata Dal (S) top leaders during the run-up to next year's assembly polls in Karnataka, as the party is eyeing JD(S) help in the event of a hung verdict in elections.

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, who held a closed-door meeting with former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Congress state unit president D K Shivakumar recently to discuss next year's polls strategy, strictly told them to avoid attacking JD(S) leaders mainly former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda and former Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy, a senior leader in Congress told DH.

Rahul's advice came following Congress poll strategist Sunil Kanugolu cautioned that attacking Deve Gowda and his family members may harm the prospect of Congress forming the government with JD(S) in the case of a hung assembly, said the leader.

The poll strategist also advised that since Gowda and his family have quite a large loyalist voters, mostly from Vokkaligas community, any personal attack on the family members might enrage the community voters. It is better to avoid personal attacks on Gowda or his family, the strategist suggested, a senior leader said.

When Congress leader from Tumakuru and former MLA K N Rajanna made comments about Deve Gowda’s health, Shivakumar was quick to ask Rajanna to seek a public apology. Even Shivakumar said the high command inquired about the comment and instructed the state unit to avoid repeating such incidents.

The JD(S) has a strong base in the Southern Karnataka region where the party is expected to get at least 25 seats in the worst scenario. If Congress falls short of the majority, it will keep its option open to seeking help from the JD (S) to form the government, said the leader.

The Congress leaders in Delhi are firm that the party should face the next elections on its own without making an alliance with JD(S) or any other parties.

In the 2018 assembly election campaign, Rahul Gandhi attacked Deve Gowda. Despite that Congress and JD(S) forged a post-poll alliance to form a government in 2018 where JD(S) leader H D Kumaraswamy became the Chief Minister after a split mandate in assembly elections.

However, the 13-month-old government collapsed in 2019 after 15 Congress MLAs quit the party and joined BJP under Operation Lotus.

Even though both the parties made a pre-poll alliance in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls in the state, they got just two seats -one each Congress and JD(S)- against the expectation of 12-to 14 seats.

Even in just concluded Rajya Sabha elections, Congress rejected JD(S) plea not to field a second candidate Mansoor Ali Khan. Resulting, Khan and JD(S) candidate Kupendra Reddy lost while BJP third candidate Lahar Singh Siroya won.

However, Siddaramaiah rejected any possible understanding with the JD(S). “Congress will form the government with an absolute majority. The situation of seeking JD(S) help does not occur," he told DH.