Upping his ante on Union Minister HD Kumaraswamy, Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar said on Thursday that the Janata Dal (Secular) will soon merge with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), pointing out that the former does not have an ideology or follow a principle. His remarks came while speaking to reporters in Bengaluru after inducting a JD(S) leader into the Congress.
"Looking at Kumaraswamy's attitude, it appears to me that the JD(S) may merge with the BJP soon. It will be good for us (Congress) if the merger happens, as there will be a direct fight between two parties (Congress and BJP). Instead of having a party for the name sake, it will be good for our party if they merge with the BJP as soon as possible," Shivakumar said.
Kumaraswamy and Shivakumar have regularly been at loggerheads lately, with the union minister recently criticising the deputy chief minister over the violence in Ballari and questioning why he convened a meeting of police officers. However, Shivakumar said he does not need tips from Kumaraswamy, saying he has more experience than the JD(S) leader.
"I'm more experienced than Kumaraswamy in politics. I have better experience. I might not have become the chief minister, but I have better experience in administration, better than Kumaraswamy. I have been a minister for a very long time. I know what is administration, how to work, whom to call and whom not (for meetings), I know. I don't want to learn anything from Kumaraswamy," he said.
Shivakumar, who is also the Congress' Karnataka president, said several BJP and JD(S) leaders have personally told him that they may take a decision regarding their future if a merger takes place. Reacting sharply to JD(S)'s plan for a friendly fight with BJP in local body elections, Shivakumar said he believes that only a contest between two parties is good for a state.
It must be noted that all local body elections will be held in Karnataka in next two to three months. On Wednesday, Kumaraswamy said the party leadership will decide on forming an alliance with the BJP for the local body elections. The JD(S), which has two Lok Sabha MPs, is a member of the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA), with Kumaraswamy being a minister at the Centre.
