Congress on BJP-JD(S) alliance in K'taka: "Long suspected secret is out"

A day after former Karnataka Chief Minister and JD(S) leader H.D. Kumaraswamy met Union Minister Amit Shah and BJP national president J.P. Nadda, the Congress on Saturday said that the long-suspected secret is finally out.

The BJP and JD(S) alliance was made official on Friday by former Chief Minister and JD(S) leader H.D. Kumaraswamy in the national capital.

Hours after former Karnataka Chief Minister and JD(S) leader H.D. Kumaraswamy announced the alliance between the BJP and the JD(S) in the national capital on Friday, the Congress hit back by saying that the grand old party's stand throughout the Karnataka election campaign has been officially vindicated today that the JD(S) is the B team of the saffron party.

In a post on X, Congress General Secretary Jairam Ramesh said, "What the Congress had repeatedly said throughout the Karnataka election campaign has been officially vindicated today. The B team of the BJP in the state -- JD(S) -- has officially become part of the NDA, that too a day following the most nakedly communal attack by a BJP MP on a former senior JD(S) leader in the Lok Sabha."

Congress leader P. Chindambaram urged people of the southern state to take note of this alliance between the conservative parties that want to preserve the old order.

"The long-suspected secret is out. The BJP has officially welcomed the JD (S) into the NDA. The SC, ST, OBC, Minorities and women of Karnataka must take note of this alliance between conservative, regressive and misogynist parties that want to preserve the old order."

Remarks from the Congress leader came after Kumaraswamy met Shah and Nadda in the national capital. The JD(S) on Friday became a part of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led National Democratic alliance (NDA).

The JD(S) became part of the BJP-led NDA to take on the Congress in the southern state in the crucial 2024 Lok Sabha elections. The Congress had defeated the BJP and the JD(S) in the Karnataka Assembly elections in May this year.

(With inputs from IANS)