With 2019 Lok Sabha Elections knocking at the doors, JD-S chief HD Deve Gowda has asked coalition "big brother" Congress to treat regional parties well before forging an alliance for the big battle in May.. Addressing his party workers on Thursday, Deve Gowda said, "They (Congress) should treat us well before striking an alliance for the Lok Sabha polls later this year. The seat-sharing talks are still on”. The former prime minister also advised his son and Karnataka Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy to tolerate the pain he is suffering while running the coalition government.

"I am not going to blame anyone I know how much pain Kumaraswamy is undergoing running the coalition government. He should tolerate this to realise the goal. Whatever the pains, the party has to brush these aside and move forward," PTI quoted the JD-S chief as saying.

Gowda's statement came on the heels of an alleged tussle over seat-sharing deal between the alliance partners. The JD-S is pitching for a 2:1 seat-sharing formula and hopes that the Congress would apply the same for the upcoming Lok Sabha polls. There are also reports that JD-S has been miffed with Congress for "unilaterally" appointing chairpersons to boards and corporations in the state.

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Besides, Kumaraswamy and JD-S leader P G R Sindhia also asked the Congress not to take the party's leaders for granted just because they are in a coalition. Talking about the seat-sharing arrangement, Kumaraswamy also appealed to the JD-S workers to strive to get 11 to 12 MPs elected from the party.

Interestingly, Kumaraswamy gave credit to JD-S on loan waiver omitting and said, "The Karnataka loan waiver is a model for the entire country. The Janata Dal government made it possible."

On the appointment of chairpersons to boards and corporations, Kumaraswamy said the party would take steps in this regard soon. He, however, requested party MLAs to make sacrifices and give opportunity to party leaders who were defeated in the 2018 assembly elections to head boards and corporations.

(With inputs from agencies)