Cong-JDS coordination committee to meet on Aug 31,amid strains

A Congress-JD(S) coordination committee meeting will be held here on August 31 amid demand by a section of Congressmen to make Siddaramaiah Chief Minister again, that has cast a shadow on the coalition government of the two parties.

This will be the third coordination committee meeting since the formation of the coalition government after the May assembly polls threw up a hung assembly.

"The next coordination committee meeting will take place on August 31," JD(S) secretary general Danish Ali told PTI.

The committee meeting is likely to be stormy as fissures between the coalition partners have started showing up months after the formation of the government.

The committee will deliberate on bringing out a booklet on the Common Minimum Programme of the coalition government, its implementation and discuss projects to be taken up, said a source in the Congress.

Besides, the recent turn of events may also be discussed in the light of former Chief Minister and Congress leader Siddaramaiah's reported statement a few days ago that he wanted to become CM again.

As his statement raised a storm, Siddaramaiah clarified that he did not wish to assume charge now, but only after five years.

Following the statement, clamour grew within the Congress to make Siddaramaiah the chief minister.

Yesterday, agriculture minister Shivashankar Reddy went to the extent of building pressure on the coordination committee to appoint Siddaramaiah as the chief minister.

Siddaramaiah himself heads the committee.

However, Karnataka Pradesh Congress president Dinesh Gundu Rao clarified today in Hassan that what Siddaramaiah meant to say was that he would become chief minister again if people blessed him one more time.

"His (Siddaramaiah's) statement was blown out of proportion and projected as if he wants to destabilise the government.

He (Siddaramaiah) has already clarified that thereis no question of unsettling the government," said Rao.

The state Congress president insisted that Congress has given in writing in the form of an agreement that the government will complete its five year tenure.

In addition to it, JD(S) supremo and former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda has insisted that state president Adagur H Vishwanath be made a member in the coordination committee, said JD(S) sources.