Former Karnataka president and leader of Opposition in the Assembly Siddaramaiah has said some functionaries of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Janata Dal-Secular (JD-S) are in touch with him, while adding that he would not reveal the names at the moment.
Siddaramaiah said the BJP and JD(S) leaders who want to join the Congress would have to accept the party leadership and can only switch loyalties without any condition.
“Some of the BJP and JD-S leaders are in touch with me, but I will not reveal the names. To join the Congress, they must have belief in our party, they must join us by accepting party leadership and they must join without any conditions,” the former chief minister was quoted as saying by news agency ANI.
According to a report in The New Indian Express, when asked about those who had defected to the ruling camp leading to the fall of the previous JD(S)-Congress government, Siddaramaiah said legislators from other parties who want to move over to the Congress have to accept the party’s leadership and ideology. “If they agree, then we will welcome them,” he said.
{{/usCountry}}According to a report in The New Indian Express, when asked about those who had defected to the ruling camp leading to the fall of the previous JD(S)-Congress government, Siddaramaiah said legislators from other parties who want to move over to the Congress have to accept the party’s leadership and ideology. “If they agree, then we will welcome them,” he said.
{{/usCountry}}The report also quoted the former chief minister speaking about alleged dissent among BJP legislators over expansion of the cabinet. “Such factions existed even in the BS Yediyurappa regime… Dissent in the ruling party is affecting the overall development of the state,” Siddaramaiah said.
Another Congress leader Saleem Ahmed said many leaders from the ruling BJP and even JD(S) want to join the grand old party. He said the party leadership will take a call on the matter.
In another development, the Congress appointed BK Hariprasad as leader of Legislative Council, Prakash Rathod as chief whip and K Govindraj as deputy leader of Legislative Council of the party in Karnataka. A statement in this regard was issued by Congress general secretary K