A day after Congress leader D.K. Shivakumar said he would not allow the JD(S) led by H.D. Deve Gowda to blackmail Chief Minister Dharam Singh or hijack the coalition Government, the CM head went on the defensive.‘‘I have not been blackmailed by anyone. I am a compromise candidate entrusted with the task of running the coalition Government for five years,’’ Singh, smarting in embarrassment over being offered protection by a disgruntled Congressman, told reporters in Mysore on Sunday.Asked whether Shivakumar’s outburst would not affect the party and Government, he said it was up to the Congress high command to take note.Later, after inaugurating a Global Conference of Kashmiri Pandits in Bangalore, Singh told reporters, ‘‘Nobody can hijack the Government. I have over 30 years experience in politics.’’Reacting to Shivakumar’s allegations, the CM said, ‘‘We cannot appease everybody. In a coalition government, we have to take everyone into confidence,’’ but admitted that running a coalition was a tough task.For Singh, already subjected to the pressures exerted by coalition partner JD(S), fellow partyman Shivakumar is the latest thorn in his side.Sore over being left out of the latest Cabinet expansion, the former Cooperation Minister stepped up attacks on arch rival Gowda and even said that he may instigate dissidence in other parties.However, Singh said his party was not keen to split JD(S). ‘‘Leaders of each coalition partner will look after their own party affairs,’’ he added.
