Ab ki baar Kumaraswamy sarkar: HD Kumaraswamy

Belagavi: Close on the heels of United States of US  president elect Donald Trump adopting his own version of PM Narendra Modi’s famous slogan “Ab ki baar Modi Sarkaar” last month, Janata Dal(S) floor leader, H.D. Kumaraswamy too  adopted Mr Modi’s famous slogan remarking, “Ab ki baar Kumaraswamy sarkar” in the run-up to the 2018 polls.

Speaking on the drought situation in the Assembly here, Mr Kumaraswamy who is now staying at a  sprawling house in Hubballi in an attempt to rejuvenate the party in North Karnataka, asserted that the 2018 election will be a watershed for JD(S) which will emerge as an alternative to both national parties in the state.

Mr Kumaraswamy promised to waive the loans of farmers within 24 hours if  JD (S) is voted to power in 2018. “I will tour all villages  in the next 18 months and appeal to the electorate to give me one more chance to serve them,” he said and in the same breath charged that former Chief Minister B.S. Yeddyurappa had prevented him from waiving loans when he was the chief minister of the JD(S)-BJP coalition government in 2007.

“Writing off crop loans will be one of the major promises in our election manifesto for the 2018 elections,” Mr Kumaraswamy told the House drawing criticism from members of both the ruling Congress and opposition BJP.

Intervening at this juncture, Leader of the Opposition Jagadish Shettar refuted Mr Kumaraswamy’s charge that Mr Yeddyurappa prevented him from waiving  crop loans in 2007 and said the JD(S) was part of the coalition and therefore, it was a collective decision. Another BJP leader, C.T. Ravi quipped that neither Congress nor JD(S) will  come to power after 2018. “We (BJP) will rule the state,” he declared.