For the first time since parting ways 12 years ago, Janata Dal (Secular) supremo H.D. Deve Gowda and former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah addressed a joint press conference here on Saturday.
Going out of their way to demonstrate mutual respect and admiration, the two showered praise on each other as they sat side by side. “Mr. Gowda’s experience as a former Prime Minister and political leader is unmatched. I don’t know anyone as knowledgeable as him in politics,” said Mr. Siddaramaiah.
When scribes asked about the leadership issue in Old Mysore region, pointing at Mr. Siddaramaiah the former Prime Minister responded, “Who else could lead the coalition in that region other than Siddaramaiah?”
Following repeated queries on the war of words between them in the run-up to Assembly elections this year, he said, “Effort to create a gap between us by raking up past differences will not yield any results. We have buried the past and that will have no effect on our future relations.”
Going a step further, Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy said: “Though my father and Mr. Siddaramaiah were physically separated, they were always mentally united in the larger interest of the country.”
The two leaders had been at loggerheads since 2006, when Mr. Siddaramaiah, the then Deputy Chief Minister, was expelled from the JD(S). He eventually joined the Congress. The two have rarely seen eye to eye since, except on rare occasions such as all-party meetings over the Cauvery water-sharing issue.
