The former CM had been upset over the way the BJP announced candidates for 20 seats without consulting it, and over not inviting the party leaders for Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s campaign rallies at Kalaburagi and Shivamogga.
After Kumaraswamy’s comments about the BJP went viral, BJP national general secretary Radha Mohan Das Agarwal spoke to him on Tuesday promising a fair treatment to the regional party, including giving up its claim on Kolar. The seat is currently held by the BJP.
The JDS state president had on Monday announced the party would field its candidates in Hassan, Mandya and Kolar without waiting for a green signal from the BJP, in an apparent show of defiance.
The JDS holds only Hassan in the Lok Sabha while Mandya is represented by the BJP-backed independent member Sumalatha, also a former South Indian actor.
BJP state president BY Vijayendra said he had spoken to both his national leaders and JDS supremo HD Deve Gowda, and everything would be resolved. The JDS district president shared the dais with the PM at Shivamogga, he said while attributing the confusion around invitation for the Kalaburagi event to a communication gap.Deputy CM DK Shivakumar, commenting on the development, said things were playing out between the BJP and JDS as he had expected. This was the way the BJP treated its partners, not only in Karnataka, but also in other states, too.JDS allowing Deve Gowda’s son-in-law Dr CN Manjunath to contest on BJP symbol was the regional party’s first suicide attempt, he said.
