Hubballi: Amid the ongoing battle between the coalition partners, JD(S) and Congress over the presentation of a full fledged state budget by Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy, former Prime Minister and JD(S) supremo H.D. Deve Gowda has expressed confidence that the coalition government will present its budget on July 5 as scheduled.
Addressing mediapersons in Idagunji village of Honnavar taluk in Uttar Kannada district on Monday, Mr Gowda said that there is no confusion among the Congress and JD(S) in this regard. He said that both parties are running the government on the basis of a proper understanding while dismissing speculative reports that ties had become strained because of differences over the need for a fresh budget.
Former chief minister Siddaramaiah, who has reservations over the presentation of a fresh budget, had presented a full fledged budget before the assembly polls were held. Sources say he is apprehensive that many of the popular schemes he had introduced, may be scrapped by Kumaraswamy who holds the finance portfolio. During his visit, Mr Gowda performed pooja at Vinayak temple in Idagunji before attending the marriage ceremony of the son of a local JD(S) leader. The priest of the temple claimed that the JD(S) supremo arrived at the temple to perform homa after his wish that his son H.D. Kumaraswamy become chief minister, was fulfilled. He has also prayed for the victory prospects of his party candidates in the Lok Sabha elections next year.
Moily: CMP draft by June 29
Former union minister M. Veerappa Moily who heads the five-member drafting panel appointed by the co-ordination committee of the ruling JDS-Congress coalition to prepare a Common Minimum Programme(CMP), on Monday said the committee will finalise the draft of the CMP by the next meeting scheduled for June 29.
Speaking to reporters after the CMP meeting here, Mr Moily said, "The committee has taken every aspect of both manifestos (of the JD-S and Congress) into consideration and discussed them in detail. We have not finalised anything yet, but we are confident that the draft will be given final touches in the next meeting and will then be placed before the co-ordination committee for final ratification." In response to a question, the former CM asserted that both parties were on the same page when it comes to waiver of farmer loans. "Let there be no confusion on this issue. we have already taken a decision," he said and added that the CMP will be the document which will guide the coalition partners for the next five years.
Answering another question, the former union minister retorted that the absence of water resource minister, D. K. Shivakumar at the meeting, need not be blown out of proportion as he had prior engagements.
