Kumaraswamy resignation decision on Sept 3: Deve Gowda

Janata Dal (S) has decided to take a final decision on the resignation of H D Kumaraswamy as party chief next month in the backdrop of its loss in the August 21 bye-elections to two Lok Sabha seats in the state.

"Kumaraswamy has already submitted his resignation and a decision in this regard will be taken on September 3 after considering the views of party leaders," JD(S) supremo and former Prime Minister H D Devegowda told reporters after a meeting convened by senior party leaders here.

Shocked by ruling Congress humbling JD-S in its strongholds of Mandya and Bangalore Rural constituencies, Kumaraswamy had on August 24 announced he was resigning as state party chief and also thinking of quitting as Leader of the Opposition in the assembly.

The party will discuss the Kumaraswamy issue at JD(S) Legislature Party Meeting tomorrow and take a decision to form ad-hoc committees at state, district and taluk level to dissolve JD(S) election bodies to make room for the new, Gowda said.

Asked if it was a blunder to have an understanding with BJP in Lok Sabha by-elections, Gowda said, "Whose decision was it? Did I contact any national leader of BJP? The state BJP President (Prahalad Joshi) has himself said that "only to defeat Congress we haven't fielded a candidate."

But when he was reminded of BJP leader R Ashok sharing space with Anita Kumaraswamy, Kumaraswamy's wife who had contested for Mandya seat, during an election campaign, Gowda said "when the roadshow is going on, can my daughter-in-law push him out of the vehicle? Did I and Kumaraswamy share a platform anywhere (with BJP leaders)?"

He scotched speculation that there is a crisis in the party after its debacle in the by-elections.

To a query, Gowda said the government headed by Siddaramaiah is not run by Congress but by the erstwhile Janata Parivar as major porfolios are held by them.