From Our Special Correspondent

Daijiworld Media Network

Bengaluru, Oct 25: Congress leader and former MP D K Suresh on Friday claimed that Union Minister and JD(S) leader H D Kumaraswamy played games to ensure his son Nikhil was chosen as NDA candidate for Channapatna assembly by-poll.

Speaking to media persons near his residence, Suresh said everybody knew in advance that JD(S) leader Kumaraswamy wanted to make his son Nikhil as the candidate to fill the vacancy caused by his resignation following the election from Mandya Lok Sabha constituency and wanted to ensure that his alliance partner BJP agreed to the decision.

“Kumaraswamy may say that the Congress party made it inevitable for Nikhil to be chosen as the candidate. But everybody knew who will be the JDS candidate. He played games like chess to bring around the BJP to agree to the decision,” Suresh said.

Pointing out that Kumaraswamy wanted BJP to back his son, Nikhil’s candidature, despite the latter’s defeat in the previous Lok Sabha election from Mandya against BJP backed Independent Sumalatha Ambarish and later from Ramanagara assembly seat, earlier held by his wife Anita Kumaraswamy, Suresh said “nobody believes Kumaraswamy that it was the Congress party which made it inevitable for Nikhil to enter the fray.”

Suresh said Congress party is not worried about former Prime Minister and JDS supremo H D Deve Gowda’s decision to campaign for a week in favour of his son and said: “We can’t ask Gowda not to campaign for his grandson. We will fight on the basis of our government’s achievements.”

The former Congress MP said his party was confident of victory of C P Yogeshwara, who joined the party after quitting as BJP MLC, and asserted that he would take the responsibility of campaigning.

To a question on Congress party choosing a candidate from the minority Muslim community, who had lost against former Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai, from Shiggaon against Bommai’s son, Bharat, Suresh said: “There is no problem. Our party leaders have sorted out all differences.”

“Just as former chief ministers Basavaraj Bommai and Kumaraswamy have ensured tickets to their sons from Shiggaon and Channapatna respectively, the Congress party has chosen candidates based on the ground situation. There is no problem of Panchamasali Lingayat community being miffed in Shiggaon,” he said.

Replying to a question on party leader S T Somashekar’s statement that eight BJP MLAs were ready to join Congress, he said: “They may be in touch with him (Somashekar). I have no information. But our party is ready to accept all those who are ready to join if they accept the party’s ideology and policies.”

Suresh said KPCC chief Shivakumar and Chief Minister Siddaramaiah will campaign for the success of Congress candidates in the November 13 bypolls to the three assembly seats.