Former External Affairs Minister, SM Krishna has exited from the Congress, but the grand old party is now competing with the BJP to woo the veteran politician.
While a few Congress leaders want SM Krishna back, the BJP too has floated the idea of SM Krishna joining the party.
BJP leaders Srinivas Prasad and GS Basavaraj visited Krishna on Tuesday evening at his Sadashivnagar home in Bengaluru.
Suspended JD(S) leaders Magadi Balakrishna, MLC Puttanna, Zameer Ahmed and Cheluvaraya Swamy also visited the former Karnataka Chief Minister’s residence and held talks with him.
Srinivas Prasad, who quit Congress and joined the BJP early in January, was the former Public Works Minister in the Siddaramaiah Cabinet. He was also the MLA of Nanjanagud. Prasad had resigned after he was dropped from his ministerial post in 2016.
Speculations are rife that Srinivas Prasad, who was one of Krishna’s close aides during the latter’s tenure as the Chief Minister, is trying to draw Krishna into the BJP’s fold.
However, Prasad countered the claims and said that he had only come to visit an old friend. “SM Krishna is a politician of vast experience. He was my guru and I wanted to know what distressed him to quit the party. I am not here to woo him to join BJP,” Prasad told mediapersons.
Admitting that Krishna's resignation was a setback to the party, Parameshwara told media persons on Monday that he would try and convince Krishna to not leave the party. “We will try to convince him not to leave the party. The party does not require only those who praise it, it also needs individuals who criticise,” he said.
Krishna’s political expertise and experience, now has both the parties vying for his support.
The BJP too is trying hard to get Krishna into its fold, and if it succeeds, the party can field Krishna’s clout in its campaigns across Mysuru and Mandya districts.
Krishna, however, refused to comment on his further course of action.