Taking serious exceptions to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s recent statement that the Janata Dal (Secular) would not secure more than 25 seats in the upcoming elections, former Prime Minister and JD(S) national president H.D.Deve Gowda said people of the State would give a fitting reply to the Chief Minister. “I am still alive and I know people of the State will give the answer to the Chief Minister,” he told presspersons here on Sunday.
Mr. Deve Gowda recalled that during the last assembly elections party’s State president H.D.Kumaraswamy alone went around the State and won 40 seats for the party, which was equivalent to the BJP’s tally. “Then I had health issues, I could not travel across the state. Kumaraswamy fought alone,” he said.
Referring to Mr. Siddaramaiah’s statement during his tour in Kolar and Chikkaballapur that Mr. Kumaraswamy had opposed providing water for people by implementing the Yettinahole project, Mr. Deve Gowda alleged that the Chief Minister had resorted to cheap politics by misquoting Mr. Kumaraswamy’s statements. “Did Kumaraswamy ever oppose providing drinking water for people of those districts?” he asked.
Mr. Siddaramaiah’s only objective after joining the Congress had been to demolish the JD(S), he said and added that during the by-elections in the BJP rule, he (Mr. Siddaramaiah) was silent with respect to other constituencies but wanted to defeat Anita Kumaraswamy in Madhugiri at any cost. “I can prove it. I know what all efforts he did to defeat our candidate”, he said.
Mr. Deve Gowda asserted that just because his party did not field candidates in the by-elections in Nanjanagudu and Gundlupete, nobody should think the party had no strength in those places. “In fact, the Congress had no candidate for Nanjangud. It fielded our candidate who had secured more than 55,000 votes in the previous elections. I decided not to contest in the by-elections because had BJP won, the media and political commentators would have blamed us for helping the BJP indirectly. But, now those benefited by our move are targeting our party,” he lamented.
Commenting on the Sadhana Samavesha of the State Government, Mr. Deve Gowda alleged the government was misusing the government machinery to campaign for the party. “I have never seen such a shameless government in my political career. Bringing all senior officers including Deputy Commissioners on the dais, the CM is seeking votes for his party. The government is putting pressure on the government to bring people for the programmes,” he said.
