“Vote for Janata Dal (Secular) this time for my sake. This is my last battle to save the party. Consider that you are voting for me and not so much my daughter-in-law,” said Janata Dal (Secular) chief and former Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda, with folded hands, as he spoke to a small group of villagers at Keralalasandra, a small hamlet in Kanakapura Kasaba hobli.
He was campaigning for his daughter-in-law Anita Kumaraswamy, who is the Janata Dal(S) candidate from Bangalore Rural Lok Sabha Constituency where the bypolls will be held on August 21. The octogenarian, who was travelling in a specially designed vehicle, looked tired but determined.
Among the people
Speaking for a while from an elevated platform from within the vehicle, he later chose to get off the vehicle and speak to people individually, inquiring with them a range of things from crops to ration cards.
Speaking to The Hindu , he said that he was travelling from village to village day and night, while his son and party State unit president H.D. Kumaraswamy was campaigning in other places. “We are the only two star campaigners of our party,” he said. “It is a matter of our party’s survival. The Congress is trying to finish off our party,” he alleged.
Defends decision
Defending the party’s decision to field Ms. Anita Kumaraswamy, he said that there was pressure from the party workers in seven Assembly constituencies that come under Bangalore Rural district to field her.
Mr. Deve Gowda appealed to the electorate to “bless” the Janata Dal(S) considering contribution of Mr. Kumaraswamy as Chief Minister during the 20-month tenure and his (Deve Gowda’s) contribution to the country as Prime Minister.
