Kumaraswamy rejects talk of rift between BJP JD S says 'no threat to alliance'

Mandya (Karnataka), Apr 8 (PTI) Dismissing reports of discord between the opposition BJP and JD(S) in Karnataka, Union Minister H D Kumaraswamy on Tuesday said there is no threat to the alliance.
    However, acknowledging that leaders from both parties have felt the need to establish a coordination committee, the JD(S) state president downplayed his party’s absence from the BJP’s statewide campaign against the Congress government.
    He said the campaign was a BJP initiative aimed at strengthening its organisation.
    “Several senior leaders from both parties want a coordination committee to be formed, but there is no threat to the alliance,” Kumaraswamy said in response to a question.
    Speaking to reporters, he added, “There is no crack in the alliance. We are secure and strong. Both parties are currently focused on strengthening their respective organisations.”
    Asked why he or any JD(S) leaders were not part of the BJP’s 'Janakrosha Yatre', Kumaraswamy said, “It is the BJP’s campaign, also aimed at strengthening its organisation. We were not invited to participate.”
    The Karnataka BJP on Monday launched its 16-day ‘Janakrosha Yatre’, a statewide campaign targeting the Congress government over rising prices of essential commodities, alleged Muslim appeasement, and the alleged diversion of funds meant for Dalit welfare.
    Murmurs of discord between the two parties surfaced when JD(S) floor leader in the Assembly, C B Suresh Babu, recently expressed disappointment over the BJP not inviting JD(S) to participate in its protests against the Congress government.
    The BJP had kicked off the first in a planned series of agitations over price hikes.
    Both Babu and JD(S) youth wing president Nikhil Kumaraswamy have demanded the formation of a coordination committee comprising leaders from both parties to ensure better collaboration.
    The BJP and JD(S) forged their alliance in 2023 and jointly contested the 2024 Lok Sabha elections in Karnataka.

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)