Former Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda has said the CBI and the Enforcement Directorate are directly controlled by political parties in power at the Centre and one cannot expect justice till they “come out of the clutches” of the parties.
‘Not running away’Stating that his family was not running away from Ramanagaram (where Energy Minister D.K. Shivakumar has reportedly gained a stronghold), Mr. Gowda told presspersons here on Friday that the constituency had given him political rebirth. He would tour each of the taluks in Ramanagaram district to campaign for the party candidate, he said. Mr. Gowda also demanded an inquiry by the CBI against his bête noire Mr. Shivakumar.
Koppal fiascoMr. Gowda said the party could not field its candidate from Koppal because of last-minute confusion. He pointed out that party MLA from Gangavathi and former Minister Iqbal Ansari was misquoted in a section of the media as having stated that the JD(S) would support the Congress.
He had only said the party would support any secular party; it could be Bahujan Samaj Party or Aam Aadmi Party, but definitely not the Congress, he said.
Chamarajpet MLA B.Z. Zameer Ahmed Khan, who spoke to Mr. Ansari on Thursday night, said Mr. Ansari was not prepared to contest the election and he could not find a suitable candidate. Mr. Ansari did not want to field any candidate and his attempts to reach Mr. Gowda or H.D. Kumaraswamy on Thursday before the deadline for nominations went in vain. Hence, he made the decision on his own, Mr. Khan said.
The JD(S) would decide in a few days on supporting a secular party in Koppal, he added.
