At a time when farmers are reeling under drought and committing suicide, the Prime Minister should focus on addressing their woes through the Union Budget, former Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda has said.
He told presspersons here on Monday that “Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been talking a lot about digital India. But the reality is that farmers under duress are committing suicide. The coming Budget should not be ‘digital India’ but ‘farmer India’”. Demonetisation and the failed rains had left the farmers in the lurch. The 60-day interest waiver for farm loans is nothing but peanuts. Mr Modi should give priority to addressing the farmers’ woes in his budget.
To a query on senior Congressman and former Chief Minister S.M. Krishna’s exit from the party, Mr. Gowda said that it would be wrong to say that it would not make any impact. “Whenever senior politicians take such decisions, definitely there would be an impact.”
On whether JD(S) would try to rope him in, Mr. Gowda said that they were contemporaries, but he would not go to Mr. Krishna’s doorstep to invite him to his party. He declined to comment on what would be the party’s reaction if Mr. Krishna evinced interest, saying that he would not answer hypothetical questions.
On reasons for Mr. Krishna’s exit from the Congress, he said that Mr. Krishna had already made his stand clear and he would not like to comment on it.
‘People inclined give power to regional party’
Mr. Gowda said that despite the misinformation campaign by other parties, the people of North Karnataka were aware of the contribution of JD(S) and Deve Gowda family to the region and they were inclined to give a chance to the regional party in the next elections. He was aware of the fact that the propaganda by other political parties projecting him and his party as anti-North Karnataka had dented the party’s image and affected poll prospects earlier. “But after seeing how national parties had failed to protect the State’s interest in matters concerning Cauvery and Mahadayi, the people have understood the significance of regional parties in the State. I am sure that the next Assembly election will prove that”, he said.
He gave various examples on what he had done for the region including getting the due share of water for the State from the Krishna basin and getting it stored. “If subsequent governments have failed to get the water to the fields, then it is not my fault.”
He also sought to know what the leaders of national parties had done for the region when in power.
On former Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy making Hubballi his ‘second home’, Mr. Deve Gowda said that “Kumaraswamy has taken a house on rent for the purpose of reaching out to the people of the region as it was difficult to do the same sitting at Bengaluru. But that too is being criticised for political reasons.”
‘No alliance’
Clarifying that the party would have no alliance, he said candidates would be fielded in all 224 Assembly constituencies in the next polls.
On the shifting of SWR headquarters from Hubballi to Bengaluru, he clarified that the decision was based on the recommendations from several committees. He also mentioned how former Chief Minister B.S. Yeddyurappa had opposed Mr. Kumaraswamy’s decision to build the Suvarna Vidhanasoudha at Belagavi.
Former Minister Basavaraj Horatti, MLA N.H. Konaraddi and others were present.
