'Baseless': HD Kumaraswamy on reports of JDS extending support to BJP

Former chief minister HD Kumaraswamy has termed reports of a section of JDS legislators talking about providing outside support to Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa's government in Karnataka as ‘baseless’. "I have gone through the baseless report about (JDS) developing relationship with BJP. Our party MLAs and workers should not give ear to such rumours. We will build the party by serving the people. Our pro-people struggle is continuous," Kumaraswamy tweeted.

His remarks come hours after his father and JDS chief HD Deve Gowda put an end to speculations that his party may extend outside support to the newly formed BJP government in the state, saying they would play the role of a "constructive" opposition.

"There is no big deal in saying so (support to BJP). His (HT Devegowda’s) intention was that the finance bill was passed (before July 31) because it was a budget presented by Kumaraswamy,” the JDS patriarch said.

Deve Gowda’s statement came a day after a section of JDS MLAs asked former chief minister HD Kumaraswamy to extend outside support to the BJP government in Karnataka.

Earlier on Friday, JDS lawmaker and former minister GT Devegowda said that a few party MLAs have impressed upon Kumaraswamy to extend external support to the BJP government. He, however, asserted that the former chief minister would take the final decision.

The BJP headed by Yediyurappa came to power on Friday after the collapse of the Congress-JDS coalition government with the defeat of the motion of confidence in the Assembly on Tuesday.

"We are going to play a constructive role. As a regional party, we will oppose where we have to oppose. That’s all. If you (Yediyurappa) do something good for the state, we will welcome it," Deve Gowda told reporters in Bengaluru.

The BJP and JDS had formed a coalition government in 2006 with Kumaraswamy as chief minister and Yediyurappa as his deputy, under a power sharing formula of 20 months each. That government had collapsed as the JDS did not transfer power to BJP, paving the way for the saffron party to win elections in 2008.