Saying that the Janata Dal (S) would start padayatras after the legislature session to fight for various State issues, former Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda on Sunday said the party would be fighting on the Krishna, Mekedatu, and Mahadayi river issues.
“The Chief Minister has said he would speak to his party leaders in Maharashtra on Krishna and resolve the problem. If the problem is sorted out, then it is good. Otherwise, we will start a padayatra from the Krishna basin,” Mr. Gowda told presspersons here. “The JD(S) will be fighting for the issues on the Upper Krishna Project, Mekedatu, and Mahadayi rivers. After the padayatra, we will take a delegation to the Prime Minister. In case the State government takes a delegation, our party is willing to join it.”
He added that he would symbolically participate in the padayatra for a day. “I will be part of the struggle, but given my old age I cannot participate in the padayatra completely. The fight will be led by [former Chief Minister] H.D. Kumaraswamy,” he said.
The padayatra will commence after the legislature session ends and will continue till the next legislature session, scheduled in November, the JD(S) patriarch said, adding that he would travel to every district to strengthen the party. “People think we are restricted to the Old Mysuru region. When I was Chief Minister, our legislators had won from Hyderabad Karnataka region too. I will decide the districts that I will be travelling to,” Mr. Gowda said.
He claimed that the Congress and BJP do not fight on these issues though they have formed governments. “What has the BJP government done over the last two years? The Centre has delayed the Mekedatu project under pressure from Tamil Nadu,” he said.
Referring to Opposition parties coming together against the Narendra Modi-led NDA, Mr. Gowda said that regional parties were strong in their respective States. “I am not sure about the nature of leadership against Mr. Modi. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, who is also fighting Mr. Modi, should move forward,” he said.
The former Prime Minister also expressed disappointment over the manner in which the recent Parliament session was conducted. “Unfortunately, I did not get a chance to speak in the fight between ruling and Opposition parties. I am deeply disappointed about it. According to me, the Parliament session was a waste. None of the issues concerning the common man were discussed.”
