Siddaramaiah plans Ahinda push to strengthen Congress

Hubballi: If Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy is trying to connect to the people with his village stay programme in the aftermath of the dismal performance of the JD(S) in the recent Lok Sabha elections, head of the coalition government’s co-ordination committee Siddaramaiah  is hoping to revive his pet Ahinda movement over the  next few months towards the same end.

Speaking to reporters in Badami on Friday, he said he would make an effort to organise Ahinda communities through the Congress party to help strengthen its position in the state after the beating it had suffered in the parliamentary elections.

Denying that he had organised an Ahinda convention for his own personal gain, Mr Siddaramaiah said, “I have no intention of starting  an Ahinda organisation outside the Congress, but will revive it while remaining with the Congress as I have been loyal member of the party,” he asserted.

 Responding to  BJP leader B. Sreeramulu's remarks that he had suffered a loss of prestige following the LS poll, he said he would not stoop to taking note of such a statement and it was left to the people  to decide.

The former Chief Minister, who is on four-day visit to Badami to inspect various developmental projects, is expected to hold a meeting of party leaders from Bagalkot district on Saturday. In response to a query, he said he found nothing wrong in Congress  MLA Amaregouda Bayyapur's statement that he was expelled from the JD(S) for trying to organise Ahinda communities. “It is true that the JD(S) expelled me for being involved in  the Ahinda movement. Can we twist the truth just because there is a JD(S)-Congress government in the state?” he asked.

Mr Siddaramaiah claimed he had held a meeting of Congress leaders in Mysuru to analyse the reasons for the party's defeat in the parliamentary elections, and not to discussion  mid-term polls in the state. He, however, added enigmatically, “Everyone should always be ready for elections.”