Congress-JD(S) panel adopts draft report on CMP

A draft report on the Common Minimum Programme, including loan waiver, was on Friday 'unanimously' adopted by a committee of ruling Janata Dal (Secular)-Congress coalition in Karnataka.

The committee was expected to submit its report, that incorporates salient features from the manifestos of both parties, to the coalition coordination committee on Saturday.

The coordination committee is slated to meet on Sunday and expected to approve the report after discussion.

"We have unanimously adopted a report which will be presented to the coordination committee... it includes the crop loan waiver both from the cooperative and commercial sector," drafting committee member and senior Congress leader Veerappa Moily said.

He was speaking to reporters after attending the third meeting of the committee in Bengaluru.

"This demonstrates the fact that for another five years the bond will be cemented both between Congress and JD-S, and there will not be any hiccups whatsoever in implementing the programmes for another five years," he said.

This was the final meeting of the drafting committee on the common minimum programme, he said adding the draft would be submitted to the coordination committee probably on Saturday.

The coordination committee of the JD(S)-Congress had appointed the drafting committee to prepare the CMP.

While revenue minister R V Deshpande and water resources minister D K Shivkumar are the other two members from Congress along with Moily, the JD-S is represented by PWD minister H D Revanna and Cooperation Minister Bandeppa Kashempur.

Moily said the draft had been prepared balancing both the Congress and JD-S manifestos and keeping in mind what needs to be implemented in the next five years.

"...regarding the loan waiver keeping in mind the financial situation, coordination committee will discuss on how to go about it, and recommend it to the Chief Minister for implementation," he said.

He also said all the flagship programmes of the previous Congress government would continue.

Asked whether they have laid down the priorities for the government, Moily, who had earlier headed the Congress' manifesto committee ahead of the May 12 assembly polls, said 'that is for the government to decide.We cannot interfere'.

"In CMP we have set out the programmes in various sectors that need to be implemented," he added.

The coordination committee comprises Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy, Deputy Chief Minister and Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee chief G Parameshwara, former chief minister and Congress Legislature Party leader Siddaramaiah, Congress General Secretary Venugopal and JD-S Secretary General Danish Ali.

Siddaramaiah is chairman of the coordination committee and Ali its convenor.

The CMP assumes significance as the coalition government is set to present its first budget on July 5.

Earlier on Friday, Siddaramaiah along with Parameshwara met Congress members of the drafting committee to discuss the CMP.

Speaking to reporters after the meeting, Parameshwara said, "It has been decided to continue the programmes of the previous government, but if there are any programmes that may cause financial burden it may be reconsidered, for now they will all continue."

They were yet to get information on exact amount of loan borrowed by farmers from cooperative and nationalised banks, he said adding 'we will get the numbers from concerned officials, discuss about it in the coordination committee and take a final decision'.

Siddaramaiah said he was not unhappy about the Congress-JD(S) coalition as was being projected, and there was no doubt about the stability of the government.

Breaking his silence on the controversy over video leaks that purportedly showed his remarks on the fresh budget and longevity of the government, Siddaramaiah termed video-graphing of a casual talk and making it public as 'unethical'.

"What I have said, in what context I have said you do not know. Whoever it is, recording my casual talk with some one and making it public without knowing the context... Is it not unethical," he questioned when asked about the videos.

Speaking to reporters after the meeting, he said: "You too don't know in what context I have spoken, nobody knows. So I don't have anything to do with it."

"We have formed a coalition government to keep away the communal BJP out of power. The coalition government will be stable; there is no doubt in that. It will be stable," Siddaramaiah, who heads the co-ordination committee of the two parties, added.

A video showing Siddaramaiah purportedly expressing doubts about the longevity of the JD(S)-Congress government surfaced on Tuesday, adding to the strains of the coalition.

Another video surfaced on Sunday, purportedly showing him expressing his displeasure to Congress legislators over presentation of a fresh budget.

"Who told you that I'm unhappy," he said in response to a question about speculation he was unhappy with the coalition government.

Siddaramaiah returned to Bengaluru on Thursday night after undergoing treatment for 12 days at a nature cure hospital in Dharmasthala.

The videos were said to be recorded there without his knowledge.

Divergent views have been aired in public by some Congress and JD-S leaders on several issues, including presentation of the budget.

Siddaramaiah, who had held the finance portfolio in the previous government, recently said there was no need for a fresh budget and insisted that a supplementary budget would do.

Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy, who holds the finance portfolio now, is scheduled to present the budget on July 5.

Meanwhile, state Bharatiya Janata Party President B S Yeddyurappa on Friday claimed that several leaders from both Congress and JD-S were ready to join his party.

Addressing the BJP state executive meet in Bengaluru, the Leader of Opposition in the assembly also termed the JD(S)-Congress partnership an 'unholy coalition' and the budget scheduled to be presented by it on July 5 as a 'minority budget'.

He asked his partymen to work towards ensuring the BJP wins 25 of the state's 28 Lok Sabha seats in the 2019 national elections.

"Several Congress and JD(S) leaders are ready to join the BJP in the current political situation. I appeal to leaders to work towards strengthening the party by bringing in honest and capable people without thinking that new inductees would affect their own chances," he said.

"Those who are ready to come to the BJP, we have to go to them personally, to their houses and talk to them and bring them to the party fold and strengthen the party for Lok Sabha polls," he said.