Coalition is safe, MLAs aren't unhappy: Siddaramaiah

Mysuru: Former chief minister Siddaramaiah claimed here on Tuesday  that there were no disgruntled Congress MLAs and there was no threat to the JD(S)-Congress coalition government in the state.

Speaking to reporters, he said he had spoken to MLAs, M.B. Patil, B.C. Patil, Sangamesh, S.R. Patil, D Sudhakar and others and none of them were unhappy.

“No one will go with the BJP. All those attempts have failed. The coalition government will complete its five year term,” he maintained.

Asked about the next KPCC president, he said he had not yet spoken to Congress president, Rahul Gandhi about it.  Mr Siddaramaiah, who was on his first visit to his hometown of Mysuru after the assembly poll, said he had accepted the people’s verdict  in Chamundeshwari, where  he was defeated.

“I do not want to analyse it. This result may have shocked the media, but not me,” he added

On chief minister H.D. Kumaraswamy’s statement that he was shocked at the corruption in Vidhana Soudha, he said, “I don’t know. If he has seen it, let him stop it.”

While he seemed to be putting up a brave front, the elections have clearly taken a toll on the former CM as he revealed that after the first coordination committee meeting on Thursday, he  planned to go to Dharmasthala for 12 days for some naturopathy.

Earlier, addressing Congress party workers and voters of Varuna constituency to thank them for electing his son, Dr Yathindra, he said  victory and defeat must be accepted in a democracy.

“I accept the mandate of the people. This is not the first time I have lost,” he said.

“I have never been excited by victory or depressed by defeat.  But what pains me is that despite doing so much good work, people did not meet our expectations,” he added.