Karnataka govt will collapse after June 10: Cong leader KN Rajanna

Tumkuru, May 27: After the debacle of JD(S) and Congress in the Lok Sabha elections, senior Congress leader KN Rajanna on Monday claimed that the coalition government of JD(S) and Congress will collapse after June 10.

"We would not have lost in Tumkur. We lost the election because of zero traffic minister (Deputy Chief Minister Dr G Parameshwar) we lost because of him. He will remain as the deputy chief minister till the Prime Minister takes oath, after that he will not be minister," Rajanna said.

"This government will not remain in power as it will collapse after June 10. I have been told that he must have lost his post even before but as per my sources, BJP people in the state stopped till the Prime Minister takes the oath," Ranjanna said.

JD(S) supremo and former Prime Minister HD Devegowda had contested Lok Sabha elections from Tumkuru seat but lost to BJP's GS Basavaraj. BJP won 25 parliamentary seats out of 28 in Karnataka.

Attacking Parameshwar, the Congress leader said, "He has done nothing for Tumkur. One small taluq Kanakapura got a medical college but we didn't get because of him, he didn't sanction it."

On Sunday, two Congress MLAs Ramesh Jarkiholi and Sudhakar met BJP leader R Ashok at veteran leader SM Krishna's residence in Bengaluru.

However, the MLAs clarified that they visited Krishna's residence to greet him for the success of BJP in the recently-held polls, adding that there was "nothing political" about the meeting.

In view of the tumultuous political developments in Karnataka, Congress party's state unit has called for a Congress Legislature Party (CLP) meeting on May 29 in Bengaluru.

Along with Siddaramaiah, Deputy Chief Minister G Parameshwara, Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) President Dinesh Gundu Rao, will also be present at the meeting.

BJP is the single largest party with 105 members in the 225 member assembly, while the ruling coalition has 117 members with 79 legislators from Congress, 37 from JD(S) and 1 from BSP.

The JD(S)-Congress coalition which is in power in the state went through a rough patch during the campaigning of the recently held elections with leaders of both the parties accusing each other.