Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Thursday came down heavily on the Janata Dal (Secular) and said it should be renamed “Janata Dal & Sons”.
Speaking after welcoming senior JD(S) leaders Krishna and C. Narayanaswamy, with three others into the party, the Chief Minister said the JD(S), by aligning with the BJP, had shunned all principles and ethics.
“One can understand that the BJP is a communal party. But it is difficult to understand the JD(S) now. Mr. Deve Gowda’s true picture will be exposed in these Lok Sabha bypolls,” he said.
Pointing out that Congress never indulges in opportunistic politics and would not do so in the future, Mr. Siddaramaiah added that only the Congress can bring about social transformation in the country.
Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) president G. Parameshwara said the party would recognise the services of all those who shift loyalties to join the Congress. “It may take time, but all of them will get good positions in the party and government. They will definitely have a better political career in the Congress,” he said.
Mr. Krishna also came down heavily on the JD(S), saying the party had now become a hub for real-estate agents, land mafia and business tycoons from Mumbai and Dubai. “There is no place for people who stand for ethics and moral values. I have quit the party because I am hurt with the recent developments in the party, especially the alliance with the BJP,” he said.
Mr. Narayanaswamy said party workers were treated as “bonded labourers” in the JD(S). The two veterans, along with the former Pandavpura MLA Kempe Gowda, retired IAS official K. Shivram and JD(S) minority unit president Abdul Hafeez Khan joined the Congress on Thursday.
Union Ministers K.H. Muniyappa, K. Rahman Khan and several MLAs and senior Congress leaders were present.
