Karnataka CM HD Kumaraswamy to Address No More Press Conference, Says 'Media Biased Against Me'
Kumaraswamy said the media has been hostile to him to the extent that he has been deliberating over constituting an expert committee who would recommend him on the statements to be issued to the press.
Bengaluru, November 23: Karnataka Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy accused the media of deliberately targeting him and misreporting the work undertaken by the JD(S)-Congress government in the state. Claiming to be a target of "media bias", Kumaraswamy said he would no longer be addressing press conferences.
Speaking to reporters on Thursday, the CM said he would be speaking only at public events, rather than interacting with the media. "The press can write whatever they want about me. I will speak only to the public," he added. Kumaraswamy Breaks Into Tears; Says, 'Only He Knows The Pain Of Coalition Government': Watch Video
Kumaraswamy said the media has been hostile to him to the extent that he has been deliberating over constituting an expert committee who would recommend him on the statements to be issued to the press.
Kumaraswamy's tirade was also targeted against the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), accusing it of unleashing a negative propaganda against him.
Responding to Leader of Opposition B S Yeddyurappa's remark that Kumaraswamy should act independently from the Congress, the Chief Minister said he does not need advice from people under whose tenure the state was "looted".
Kumaraswamy denied facing pressure from ally Congress -- which has more than double the number of legislators as compared to JD(S). "The BJP should remember that when I was with them for 20 months, MLAs of my party were even less. They should also recall how their personal secretaries came to me with chits from getting their work done," he said.
Notably, Kumaraswamy has 38 legislators in the 224-member assembly, whereas, the Congress has 80 MLAs. The BJP serves as the prime Opposition despite being the single-largest party with 104 MLAs.
In July -- two months after being sworn-in as the 22nd CM of the state, Kumaraswamy broke down while addressing JD(S) cadres, saying only he knows the "pain of running a coalition government".
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Nov 23, 2018 04:02 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).