Cooperate with me: Sadananda Gowda

BANGALORE:  Chief Minister D V Sadananda  Gowda, who catapulted to the CM’s post by luck, seems to have realised how difficult it is to run the state when his own party is in a split.This was evident at the state BJP office-bearers’ meeting here on Wednesday when Gowda literally expressed his helplessness while pointing at the infighting in the party and non-cooperation from his Cabinet colleagues.The party had convened the meeting to bring closer the warring groups within the state BJP, which had emerged during Gowda’s election as former CM BS Yeddyurappa’s successor. Making full use of the platform to air his feelings, Gowda made an emotional appeal to his ministers and party bosses to bury the hatchet and cooperate with him in giving good governance.“I became the CM in a strange situation. I was hoping that differences within us will sink with time. But the present situation gives a completely different picture. Unnecessary confusion and differences have cropped up. More worrying is that none of us is making sincere efforts to sort them out,” Gowda said.He also took serious objection to leaders airing their differences publicly and warned that such a trend would harm the party’s image and its prospects in future. “Let us shed our ego and differences in the interest of the party. People have voted us to power with great expectations. Let us not let them down,” he added.Gowda was in tears when he recalled the efforts and struggle veteran party leader and former prime minister Atal Behari Vajpayee underwent in bringing the party to power.“When I met Vajpayee after becoming CM, he told me that the party has come to power in Karnataka after years of struggle. He also said that giving good governance is the only way to compliment this struggle. But looking at the present situation, it appears that our personal interests have gained an upper hand,” the Chief Minister added.