Mysuru: Union Minister for Steel and Heavy Industries HD Kumaraswamy said that he was neither surprised nor unsettled by reported cross-voting in the Legislative Council elections.
Speaking to media persons in Mysuru on Friday, Kumaraswamy said he had anticipated cross-voting within the ranks. He claimed that four MLAs had voted against the party and that some of them were already discussing leaving the party. He maintained that such developments did not worry him, adding that he was aware of internal alignments and future actions would be taken after reviewing the situation.
He said excessive trust within the party had contributed to the setback, but insisted the organisation had enough strength to recover. According to him, the decision to field a candidate was also meant to assess the conscience of party MLAs, and the outcome had unfolded as expected.
Reiterating his confidence, Kumaraswamy said the party would focus more on young leaders and give greater opportunities to Gen Z in the coming days. He said rebuilding leadership was a priority and new faces would be encouraged.
On senior leader GT Devegowda, he expressed strong displeasure, saying the leader had effectively moved away from the party. Kumaraswamy said his position on Devegowda was final and would not change, even under pressure from within the party or from former Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda.
On his return to state politics, Kumaraswamy said his role at the Centre was temporary, while his connection to state politics remained permanent, also pointing out that he continues to serve as party president.
On the Bidadi Township issue, he rejected claims that he had removed red-zone restrictions for land conversion. He argued that if he had supported real estate interests, farmers would have lost their land. He also said that payments by DLF were made during Governor's rule and not during his tenure as CM.
He further said he would release past Assembly records, citing speeches by leaders, including Siddaramaiah, DK Shivakumar, and Mallikarjun Kharge on the Bidadi Township proposal.
Kumaraswamy added that although he had initiated plans for multiple townships during his tenure as CM in 2006-07, the Bidadi project was later dropped after consultations, saying he chose not to proceed in the interest of farmers.
