‘Kumaraswamy was wary of aligning with Congress’

NEWDELHI: Janata Dal (Secular) general secretary Kunwar Danish Ali said his party leaders were initially reluctant to join hands with the Congress but eventually decided to come together to keep the BJP out. In an interview with Aurangzeb Naqshbandi, he also said the main priority of both the parties is the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.

The Congress and JD(S) fought a bitter poll with Rahul Gandhi terming your party a ‘B’ team of the BJP. How do you explain the coming together of the two parties?

The remark damaged us a lot as it alienated our minority votes. But this (alliance) is not about a party or power because country and democracy are above everything. In the larger interest, we have forgotten the bitterness of the election campaign. The Congress has also realised that its strategy to attack the JD(S) did not work. This coalition has been formed to save the democracy.

Were you at any point of time also in touch with the BJP for government formation? Were you surprised by the Congress’s offer?

Some religious leaders of the Vokkaliga community, certain common friends of Kumaraswamy and BJP sympathisers were thinking about an alliance with the BJP. But neither Kumaraswamy nor former PM, HD Deve Gowda, had any such thing in mind. I had a meeting with Congress’s Ghulam Nabi Azad on May 12 and we discussed different scenarios. When I informed Kumaraswamy about the meeting on May 14 and he got furious. He told me how I could think about it (a coalition) when the Congress had demolished us and was trying to poach our legislators even before the votes were counted. But I took a commitment from Kumaraswamy that before taking any decision, he would discuss with me as there were apprehensions that the BJP might try to reach out to him. He agreed. Deve Gowdaji was also upset with the way the Congress had conducted its campaign. But he was against any tie-up with the BJP.

When the Congress made its unconditional offer on May 15, I informed Deve Gowdaji. I also spoke to Siddaramaiah and he was on board. Then I talked to Kumaraswamy, who was visibly disturbed as we were expecting 70 seats in a worst case scenario and ended up at 38. Again Kumaraswamy was reluctant, but when I insisted and also told him Deve Gowdaji is not against it, he finally agreed.

The BJP is saying the JD(S)Congress coalition government will not complete its full term.

Our concern is the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. It’s not the question of number of ministers and portfolios. The goal is more important.