Kumaraswamy meets Rahul Gandhi over reports of JDS-Congress rift in Karnataka

Karnataka Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy met Congress president Rahul Gandhi in New Delhi on Monday amid reports of differences between Janata Dal Secular (JDS) and Congress lawmakers in Karnataka over tabling of new full-fledged budget for 2018-19. Senior JDS leader Danish Ali and KC Venugopal of the Congress were also part of the meeting between Kumaraswamy and the Gandhi scion.

Though details of the meeting are yet to emerge, but the Congress had earlier maintained that there was no need for a fresh budget, insisting that a supplementary budget was enough for the time being. However, the JDS had said that a new budget was needed to demonstrate the direction of the new government. Kumaraswamy had said that he would meet Rahul Gandhi to sort out the issue.

Notably, former chief minister Siddaramaiah had expressed strong reservations over presenting the new budget, saying there was no need for the same. To assert his stand, Siddaramaiah had pointed that he had already tabled the budget as CM a few months ago.

"Budget has already been tabled. It is a full-fledged budget only. That's why we had taken vote on accounts for four months. It will be there till July end. All the ongoing programmes and new programmes announced in the budget will continue," Siddaramaiah had said.

He had advised Kumaraswamy that if he wanted to carry out certain projects and launch some schemes, he could bring out a supplementary budget.

Reacting to Siddaramaiah's 'suggestion', Kumaraswamy had told mediapersons in Delhi that the new government needed to demonstrate its objectives to the people.

"Whenever a new government comes to power, it needs to demonstrate what its goals are. We cannot limit ourselves to presenting supplementary budget because there are many challenges before the government," the Karnataka Chief Minister had said. He also pointed the Congress as well as the JDS made several promises incorporating new programmes.