WB CM Mamata Banerjee & Her Counterparts from Other States Will Attend Kumaraswamy’s Swearing –In on Wednesday
KARNATAKA Janata Dal (Secular) President H D Kumaraswamy will take oath as the chief minister on May 23 in the presence of several state satraps besides UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi and Congress President Rahul Gandhi. The swearing-in ceremony will be held in Bengaluru’s sprawling Kanteevera stadium. JD (S) founder President and ex-PM HD Deve Gowda has indicated that the event will be an opportunity to forge unity among opposition parties against BJP.There unity should be based on common minimum programs, says Deve Gowda, 85, who is also a former CM of the southern State. Deve Gowda , who was a Sonia Gandhi appointee PM by Sonia Gandhi and was reportedly replaced in a year, has come closer and is instrumental in forming the current alliance between JD(S) and Congress. The occasion will serve as a show of unity for opposition leaders for an alliance is possible at the regional as well as national level to fight the BJP.Kumaraswamy said that he will personally invite Congress president Rahul Gandhi as well as several other senior regional leaders. Bahujan Samaj Party chief Mayawati, who contested Karnataka polls in alliance with the JD(S), is likely to attend the event. Samajwadi Party’s Akhilesh Yadav will also be invited. Chief Ministers of two neighbouring states, Andhra Pradesh’s N Chandrababu Naidu and Telangana’s K Chandrasekhar Rao, will also be present at the event.TRS party sources said Kumaraswamy telephoned Rao and invited him for the oath-taking ceremony.WB CM Mamata Banerjee is also among the invitees. Kolkata media conforms she will take the first flight from Kolkata to Bengaluru to be present on the occasion.(Image courtesy : The Deccan Chronicle)