Karnataka - Bidar   

Minister hints at coalition not lasting full term

By Our Staff Correspondent

BIDAR, JUNE 22. The Minister for Animal Husbandry and WAKF, Mirajuddin Patel, on Tuesday hinted at the possibility of the Congress-Janata Dal (Secular) coalition Government not lasting its full term. "You have given a mixed mandate. But we will come back to you again, may be after a year or two. Then you vote us to power in full majority and see all our commitments in our manifesto translate into concrete achievements,'' the senior Janata Dal(S) leader told a rally, his first after becoming a Minister.

"Many people are saying that our government will not last for more than six months. Let them say that. We have joined hands with a secular party to provide a government for a full term. But we are ready for anything. To rule for five years or face elections midway,'' the Humnabad MLA said.

Mr. Patel said that not all the promises included in the party's manifesto might be fulfilled, as it was a coalition Government in power, which had to include programmes of the two parties on its agenda. "We will, therefore, implement a common minimum programme which will be drafted soon. A committee has been set up for this," Mr Patel said.

"The Congress had not done us a favour by giving us some Cabinet berths nor have we done them any favour by letting them have the Chief Ministership. Both of us have taken our due share. It is as simple as that,'' Mr. Patel said.

Earlier, he went round the town and parts of the walled city in Bidar in a procession. The party's State unit Vice-President, Baburao Gudage, the district unit President, Amrit Chimkod, and Gundappa Vakil joined Mr. Patel in garlanding the statues of Basaveshwara, Ambedkar and Chatrapati Shivaji.

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