From Our Special Correspondent
Daijiworld Media Network
Bengaluru, Feb 19: Even as BJP and Congress as well as the allies of the two parties have already started and even finalized the seat sharing issues in different states for the ensuing Lok Sabha polls, the seat sharing talks between the ruling JD(S) and Congress coalition partners in Karnataka has become thorny issue ending in verbal duel among the leaders of the two parties.
Reacting to the comment made by Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy in Mysuru that “We are not beggars” to seek Lok Sabha seats, former Chief Minister and JD(S)-Congress coalition coordination panel chairman Siddaramaiah shot back and said “we too are not beggars.”
The seat-sharing issue among the two parties has not been yet decided even on Tuesday.
Kumaraswamy on Tuesday said, “We are not beggars” in a fit of anger, in response to a question on the Congress party’s offer to share seats in the parliamentary polls.
Speaking at a youth Congress convention at the Palace Grounds in the city, the Siddaramaiah said the party has decided not to concede constituencies wherein the Congress candidates elected to the parliament in the 2014 general elections.
The Congress has not yet decided the number of seats to be conceded to the JD(S).
Out of 28 seats, the Congress MPs are representing 10 constituencies, while the JD(S) - 2 and BJP - 16.
KPCC President Dinesh Gundu Rao said a meeting held on Monday has not yet decided seat sharing and candidates.
"We will meet JD(S) supremo H D Deve Gowda on Wednesday and talk about seat sharing" the KPCC chief said.
Replying to a question on actor-turned politician Prakash Rai seeking support from the Congress in Bengaluru Central constituency, the KPCC chief said the Congress is a national party and it would not extend support to Rai.
However, he was free to join the Congress and seek support. “We know what he stands for and is closer to our ideology. He is definitely against BJP and RSS. So let him decide what he wants to do. If he decides to contest on his own, why should we support or ignore our party workers,’’ the KPCC chief asked.