Monday, May 30 2005 14:48 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Bangalore: Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister Siddaramaiah today (May 30, 2005) admitted that friction between his party, Janata Dal-Secular (JDS) and its coalition partner, Congress, was "inevitable" due to the nature of their relations in the past but deprecated attempts to link it with their governance, asserting that both have shown that the coalition Government can run smoothly.

"If there is an understanding between the Chief Minister and Ministers, coalition Government can run smoothly and deliver goods. This is what we have proved", Siddaramaiah told sources in an interview on the completion of one year in office by the first ever coalition dispensation in the State on May 28, 2005.

Seeking to downplay the frequent frictions between the leaders of both parties, he said, " These frictions are always there. Congress and we have fought each other for 30 years and the understanding is for forming the Government and running the Government" and added, "in such a situation friction is there. It is inevitable also".

But, Siddaramaiah strongly dismissed speculations on the threat of snap polls in the State, saying that there was no situation that warrants an early election and no political party is prepared.

Seeking to set at rest doubts about the longevity of the coalition Government, Siddaramaiah said, "The decision is to complete five years, because people's opinion is also the same. As things stand now, I don't think there is a major development that pushes us towards the polls".

However, he was cautious in adding that "If it becomes inevitable, and if there is a major crisis or ideological differences, everyone is ready to face the election".

Admitting that there were reservations initially by JDS about forming the coalition Government, as it fought against Congress for more than 30 years, Siddaramaiah said that they came together considering political compulsions of the fractured verdict thrown up by people in the 2004 Assembly polls.

Dismissing the criticism that the coalition Government had failed to perform, he said that during last year (2004), the Government has achieved all the targets set under the budget.

"This demonstrates that the Government has provided money to all the programmes envisaged in the budget and there was not cut in grants. Is it not an achievement?

Demanding that the credit of presenting a surplus budget should be given to the coalition Government, as it was achieving the feat after a gap of eight years and repeated it again for the second successive year, he said, "we have wiped out revenue deficit and fiscal deficit is well below three per cent of the GDSP".

"How can any one say this Government has not delivered goods?, Siddaramaiah posed, putting up a strong defence of the Government but said, "If any one forms such an opinion (non performance), can any one change it. We can't help for that kind of opinion. But we (coalition partners) are not for that opinion".

Siddaramaiah also repudiated the statements by some political leaders that former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda was bulldozing Chief Minister N Dharam Singh.

Defending certain remarks made by JDS chief Gowda, which were seen as an embarrassment to the Congress, he said, "Gowda is the president of a political party. He is expressing his opinion. He is right in making comments and criticisms or giving advice".

Siddaramaiah pointed out that Congress "is also doing the same role. Is Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) president Janardhana Poojary also not making comments?

Siddaramaiah, a backward class leader who had emerged as a strong contender for the Chief Ministership, reacting to the continued "frictions" between the leaders of both parties on various occasions, said, "they are at the party level. They are bound to continue. Criticisms in democracy will always be there", seeking to demarcate the role of political parties and the Government.

Lashing out at critics who have been accusing coalition Government of non-performance, he shot back, asking, "Are we not taking up issues of farmers, poor, rural areas. Are we not giving attention to education, health, drinking water, irrigation and social welfare programmes?

Siddaramaiah also sought to spike speculations that his relationship with Gowda have soured, declaring, "There is no change in my relations with Gowda. It is continuing as it was before".