Cong made ‘sacrifice’ by forming Govt with JDS: New KPCC chief
BENGALURU: The newly appointed KPCC president Dinesh Gundu Rao on Wednesday said that the Congress had made a “sacrifice” by forming a government with the JD(S) to preserve secularism and democracy.
He said though Congress secured 80 assembly seats as against 37 of JDS, it decided to help the latter form the government, “not because we are weak, but because our objectives are different.”
“We made a sacrifice by forming a coalition government to send across a message as to how we strive to preserve social justice,secularism and democracy,”he said in his first address to party workers after donning the mantle as the Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee head.
The May 12 assembly polls had thrown up a hung verdict with BJP emerging as the single largest party with 104 seats in the 224-member assembly, but falling short of numbers.
Sewing up a post-poll alliance, Congress supported the JDS to form the government.
Rao said Prime Minister Narendra Modi would not come to power again as the BJP had no base in the South, except for Karnataka. In the North too things were changing very rapidly against the BJP.
“There is a 100 per cent chance of a Congress led government coming to power at the Centre and Rahul Gandhi will lead it as the prime minister. In Karnataka we will strive to win all the 28 Lok Sabha seats to strengthen Rahul Gandhi,” said Rao.
Calling on party cadres to “uproot” BJP from the country, he said democracy seemed to be in peril. “Today whoever speaks against the BJP is threatened by the Income Tax Department, Enforcement Directorate and the Central Bureau of Investigation.
We are forced to think whether democracy will survive in this country,” said Rao.
He also warned the cadres not to work against the party as he underlined the need to follow the ‘Maitri Dharma’ (ethics of coalition).
“I assure you that I will work sincerely for the party.
As party president, I will not belong to any individual, but will strive for the party.