H.D. Deve Gowda, former Prime Minister and national president of the Janata Dal (Secular), turns 85 on May 18, a few days after the May 12 Assembly elections in Karnataka. While he hopes that the people of the State will give him a “birthday gift” by voting the JD(S) to power, and not the ruling Congress or the BJP, most observers give the party a good chance of emerging as the kingmaker. Since he first contested in 1962 from Holenarasipur constituency as an independent candidate, Mr. Gowda has seen 12 Assembly polls in a political career spanning six decades. In the run-up to these elections, the JD(S) has been accused by the Congress as having a tacit understanding with the BJP. Mr. Gowda responds to these allegations, says Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s sheen is wearing off, and that secularism is not the sole “property” of the Congress. Excerpts:
If the elections result in a hung Assembly, your party is seen as the potential kingmaker. The Congress has already hinted at the JD(S) having a tacit understanding with the BJP by calling your party “Janata Dal Sangh Parivar” and “B team of the BJP”. How do you respond?
The coming polls will be the 13th in my political career as I turn 85. If JD(S) gets a majority, I will accept that as a gift from the people of my land. If not, I will gracefully accept the people’s verdict. I have told the party State president and my son H.D. Kumaraswamy not to go with either the Congress or the BJP. Kumaraswamy is still paying the price for having joined hands with the BJP for a brief period to protect the party from getting broken by the Congress. It cannot happen again.
Never did I go after power. Had I been power hungry and compromised with Sitaram Kesri of the Congress in 1996, this humble farmer would have served the country as Prime Minister for some more time. But I stood [by] my values and ideals.
At the Central level, will the JD(S) be among the parties hoping to provide an alternative to the Congress and the BJP?
My stand at the State and the Centre differ. If the situation demands, I will join hands with secular forces — whoever they may be — as fundamentalism is growing by leaps and bounds in the last four years under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s regime. Power-hungry politicians in Delhi have to understand this first. Secularism is not the property of the Congress alone. The BJP, especially Modi, came to power because of the mistakes committed by the Congress during the UPA’s 10-year tenure in office. The country’s heterogeneous nature led to the emergence of a multiparty system and coalition governments. With a single party’s rule damaging the very social texture of the country, coalition politics is needed for some more time. I want to underline that I will not shy away from joining hands with secular forces in the larger interest of the country. But for now my principal focus will be on Karnataka.
In the Karnataka polls, do you think what is called Narendra Modi’s ‘charisma’ and Amit Shah’s strategies will work?
Being a former Prime Minister, I don’t want to comment on Modi. However, I want to make one thing clear: The sheen around Modi has faded because of the anti-people, anti-farmer decisions taken in the past four years. Modi’s chest-thumping speeches will not influence the people of Karnataka any more. However, considering the recent records of Amit Shah, I don’t know what cards he will play.
The gap between the Congress and the JD(S) has widened in recent days, with the Congress questioning your secular credentials. What might be the reason for Rahul Gandhi and Chief Minister Siddaramaiah asking you to “come clean”?
The Congress, especially Rahul Gandhi and Siddaramaiah, has no moral right to question the secular credentials of the JD(S), which is opposing the sinister communal designs of the BJP since the day the Babri Masjid was demolished. On the one hand they are calling us “B team of BJP”; on the other, the Congress wants us to align with them to fight against the BJP. Rahul’s remarks are immature. He lacks a historical understanding of events, and parrots what was briefed to him by others. This is an indication also of a weakened high command. I want to remind him that I visited Gujarat after the Godhra riots amid stone pelting. Despite being in coalition with the BJP, Kumaraswamy ordered the arrest of the then BJP president, D.V. Sadananda Gowda, when he tried to violate the law near the controversial shrine of Bababudangiri in Chikkamagaluru. It is better if Rahul and Siddaramaiah go through the pages of Karnataka’s history. The Congress should be indebted to the JD(S) for having rescued it whenever it was in crisis. We supported them in the two bypolls in 2017 and we are in alliance with the Congress in Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike [Bengaluru’s civic body]. Does Rahul know who exposed the corruption of B.S. Yeddyurappa? It was us. Yes, in the JD(S), we have an ‘A’ team and a ‘B’ team, one led by me and the other by Kumaraswamy. I think Rahul and Siddaramaiah are attacking the JD(S) knowing that it is difficult to get a majority. They have started a misinformation campaign against the JD(S). Siddaramaiah, who was groomed by the JD(S), has turned arrogant in recent months and has forgotten his past.
You are being accused of being soft on Mr. Modi and not attacking the State BJP.
Why should I be soft on Modi? I have attacked him on various counts, including on demonetisation and the super flop promise of bringing back black money. Is it a crime to meet a Prime Minister on issues pertaining to the State? Too much is being read into it.
It is being alleged that the BJP played a role in the JD(S)’s alliance with the BSP, to break Dalit votes that would have otherwise gone to the Congress.
No. The allegation is politically motivated. I have personally discussed the issue with Mayawati. Like me, she opposes the BJP tooth and nail. As far as the Congress is concerned, she is upset with the Congress in Karnataka because of the treatment meted out to Dalit leaders.
The Congress seems to be speaking about regional pride, as we saw with the issue of the State flag. Is the national party appropriating regional issues, which are essentially the strengths of a regional party?
I have fought for the water rights of Karnataka from the time I entered the Assembly as an MLA in 1962. I resigned from Ramakrishna Hegde’s cabinet protesting against non-allocation of sufficient funds for irrigation. Because of my initiative as Prime Minister, the Upper Krishna Project received a whopping sum of ₹20,000 crore. It was Kumaraswamy who released funds for the Kalasa-Banduri Nala project. None of the national parties have protected the interests of the State as far as the irrigation projects are concerned like our party has. On Hindi, I am against its imposition and I will fight against the Centre imposing Hindi in Karnataka till my last breath. But as a former Prime Minister, I cannot be parochial. It is not right on my part to speak about Karnataka’s initiative to have a State flag. There was no movement in Karnataka seeking a separate flag for the State. The issue of having a flag might politically benefit the Congress. Siddaramaiah is pitching these issues just to camouflage the blunders committed in the last five years. The State flag might be important for the Congress, but not for me.
Will according minority religion status to the Lingayat community help the Congress in the polls?
The Congress party’s significant c ontribution to Karnataka is dividing the Lingayats. I can’t say whether that will turn productive or counterproductive for it. But I am pained to see some cabinet ministers, who took oath under the Constitution, steering the movement from the front. While one section of the Lingayat society is supporting the move, the other is opposing it. I don’t know who will be benefit from this move. But I don’t have any role in this. I am curious about how Amit Shah will mitigate the impact of the Lingayat issue.
Do you think the Congress will knock on the JD(S)’s doors after the polls?
I have completely lost faith in the Congress. I don’t know what they will do in case of a fractured mandate. It is a known fact that the very nature of the Congress is to use and throw those who support them. Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi took a U-turn and defeated a minority candidate of the JD(S) in the recent Rajya Sabha polls. Is it possible for the Congress, which has asked me to ‘come clean’, to approach the JD(S) after the polls?
What will be the composition of the coming Assembly in Karnataka?
Believe it or not, according to the party’s own impartial and objective survey, Kumaraswamy is leading over Siddaramaiah and Yeddyurappa. The BJP is losing its strength by the day. But fund crunch might tilt the balance and it is not possible for the JD(S) to compete with the both the national parties in terms of electoral investments. But I won’t go to anybody seeking funds. I have even borrowed money from private finances to support winnable candidates who don’t have money to spend. You can refer to reports by the ADR [Association for Democratic Reforms] and Karnataka Election Watch to understand our financial position.
