Deve Gowda did not want Karnataka CM job for son Kumaraswamy: Report

Karnataka Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy

Karnataka Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy said it was Congress and not his father that asked him to lead the Karnataka coalition government formed by Congress and JD(S), The Times of India reported.

When Congress had approached HD Deve Gowda for an alliance shortly after results were announced, and offered the CM’s position to JD(S), the veteran leader had insisted that Congress leaders keep the CM post with them.

The Congress, however, pressed for Kumaraswamy to be the CM and run their government.

Kumaraswamy said, “My father told Congress leaders that I have undergone heart surgery twice and I’m not in good health. He even asked them to have a Congress CM. But they were unrelenting and made me CM.”

“I wanted to share my fears of running the government because of middlemen in Vidhana Soudha. I heard about the menace of middlemen seeking Rs 10 crore for transfer of officials. Sometimes, I am scared to think of running the government under these conditions. I expressed my concerns to my father. That’s when my father shared the conversation he had with Congress leaders,” he added.

Kumaraswamy is determined to fight corruption in the state and government offices in a phased manner, acknowledging that it will be difficult to do in one go. “If I embark on such an exercise, I’ll lose my post!”

He said he only wants to work for the people of the state. “I don’t want to make money or aspire for anything. I don’t know how long I’ll live. Now, that I have accepted the offer, I’ll run the government and ensure good governance,” he said.

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