Congress ally JDS Karnataka president says 'Rahul's hugging act was childish'

Janata Dal-Secular (JDS), which forms a coalition government with the Congress party in Karnataka, on Monday said that the Congress president Rahul Gandhi's act of hugging the Prime Minister Narendra Modi was childish.

Speaking to ANI, the JDS Karnataka state president, said, "It is not just me who is saying this; the whole country is saying It (hugging PM Modi) was a childish act."

Vishwanath was referring to Rahul walking and hugging the Prime Minister inside the Lok Sabha during the No-Confidence Motion debate on July 20.

The unexpected act sparked a political furore with the Bhartiya Janta Party criticising the Congress president.

The JDS, Karnataka state president remarks are latest in the sporadic sparks between the coalition partners in power.

Last month senior JDS leader and Karnataka chief minister H.D. Kumaraswamy broke down in tears while addressing a public gathering and said he was "unhappy" and "swallowing pain of coalition government."

However, he later said that he was "misinterpreted" in his comments. He quoted that "it was a party programme and I got emotional, Media misinterpreted my speech."

(ANI)