BJP had no role in coalition govt collapse: Basavaraj Horatti

Hubballi: Janata Dal (Secular) MLC Basavaraj Horatti said on Friday that the coalition government had collapsed because of the rift between Congress and JD(S) leaders.

Addressing the media here, he indirectly expressed displeasure at the JD(S) leaders and said that the legislators, who had quit the Congress and JD(S), should have been treated well by those in the government.

He said CLP leader Siddaramaiah should not have taken the comments of former prime minister H.D. Deve Gowda against him seriously.

Stating that there was no coordination between leaders of the Congress and JD(S), Mr Horatti said that both parties should have had proper terms and conditions before forming the coalition government. The BJP had no role in the collapse of H.D. Kumaraswamy's coalition government, he added.

Reacting to BJP’s “Operation Lotus”, he said, “It is common that parties indulge in such tactics to woo legislators from Opposition parties to come to power. The BJP would not have succeeded in "Operation Lotus" if there was better coordination and understanding between Congress and JD(S) leaders.

Dissidents like Gopalaiah and H. Vishwanath were loyal leaders of JD(S). “We could have completed the full five-year tenure if we had taken them into confidence. But the infighting in the Congress as well as JD(S) led to the collapse of the coalition government,” Mr Horatti said.

Stating that he had spoken to BJP legislator Umesh Katti, who has been denied a cabinet berth, Mr Horatti said that he had suggested to him to join the JD(S) and strengthen it instead of being with national parties.

Holding JD(S) leaders responsible for the defeat of Mr Deve Gowda and his grandson Nikhil Kumaraswamy in the Lok Sabha elections, Mr Horatti said that their charges against MP Sumalatha Ambareesh helped in generating a sympathy wave in favour of her.

Stating that the JD(S) should have inducted him into the coalition cabinet, Mr Horatti said the leaders made him Speaker of the Assembly ignoring his contributions to the growth of the party.

He admitted that the JD(S) had betrayed the BJP by not keeping its promise to hand over power to it when their coalition was in power.