Even as his remarks against Janata Dal (Secular) national president H.D. Deve Gowda sparked off a controversy, KPCC president G. Parameshwara on Thursday expressed regret over having hurt Mr. Gowda.
Dr. Parameshwara on Wednesday had reportedly mocked Mr. Gowda over a remark made in the past that he [Mr Gowda] would consume poison if his party did not get a majority in the Assembly elections. He reportedly countered with a remark saying neither had the JD(S) come to power, nor had Mr. Gowda consumed poison so far.
Clarifying his position, Dr. Parameshwara said: “I have great respect and regard for Mr. Gowda. Let him live for 100 more years. We are proud that he was the first Prime Minister from Karnataka. I made the remark in a lighter vein and did not use any unparliamentary words. However, it has been blown out of proportion…”
He said media reportage about the statement had taught him a lesson; he should not speak on such things even in a lighter vein. “I regret if I have hurt the senior leader. I really did not mean it and it was the slip of the tongue.” He also clarified that the former External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna had not praised the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh during his roadshow in Bangalore Central constituency on Wednesday.
On former BJP leader S.N. Krishnaiah Setty’s admission into the Congress, Dr. Parameshwara said the AICC had approved Mr. Setty’s inclusion into the party. “Although the KPCC had apprised the AICC about Mr. Setty’s background, they decided to include him. He will now campaign for the party.”
Earlier, Dr. Parameshwara released the Kannada version of the party’s manifesto. Senior Congress leaders such as Veeranna Mathikatti, B.L. Shankar, Rani Satish and V.R. Sudarshan, among others, were present.
