JDS-BJP understanding will help Congress: Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah

BANGALORE: Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah today said that reported move by JDS and BJP for an understanding for the August 21 by-polls to two Lok Sabha seats would help the ruling Congress and expose JDS' "true colours".

"Understanding between BJP and JDS will benefit Congress, it will help us in winning the elections; ....people will get to know their (JDS) true colours on who is secular and who is communal," Siddaramaiah told reporters here.

"People will get to know about (JDS chief and former Prime Minister) Deve Gowda and (his son) H D Kumaraswamy who always boast themselves of being secular," he added.

He said there is no difference between JDS and communal parties, adding, "one can't become secular just by adding the word secular to the name."

"Deve Gowda who had said that forming government with BJP (in the state) was a big mistake is again going with BJP, and Kumaraswamy has already said that he is not sorry about joining hands with BJP in forming the government," he added.

By-polls are being held for Mandya and Bangalore Rural constituencies.

BJP and JDS are reportedly in talks for a tacit understanding for the two constituencies as well as three Legislative Council seats from local bodies. Kumaraswamy's wife Anitha Kumaraswamy is the JDS candidate from Bangalore Rural.

On multi-lingual actress Ramya's reluctance to remain in the fray for Mandya by-poll due to sudden death of her guardian, he said "she is bit disturbed, but we have told her that she cannot back-off at this juncture; we have convinced her."

The Chief Minister however, declined to comment on possibilities of senior party leader D K Shivakumar being considered for ministerial berth. Shivakumar has been kept out of the ministry reportedly over allegations of illegal mining against him