‘We will not break our alliance with NDA under any circumstance’: Former PM HD Deve Gowda

BENGALURU: Former Prime Minister and JDS National President HD Deve Gowda declared that the party would not sever its alliance with the NDA under any circumstance. “We have complete faith in the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Amit Shah,” he said.

Addressing party workers and leaders after inaugurating the JDS Silver Jubilee celebrations, Deve Gowda reiterated, “We stand firmly with the NDA. We trust Prime Minister Modi’s leadership. A strong government is in place under him. Our workers and leaders must never forget this.”

He recalled the party’s long-standing association with national politics, saying, “During the Emergency, we worked alongside Jayaprakash Narayan and the then-BJP in the second freedom struggle. In the interest of the nation, we must continue to work together. The Congress must be taught a lesson for its bad governance.”

Deve Gowda expressed strong displeasure over Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah’s statement in Chamarajanagar that he would never have become Chief Minister if he had remained in JDS. “I was ready to make him Chief Minister,” Gowda said.

He recounted that Sonia Gandhi insisted on making Dharam Singh the Chief Minister at the time. “In Kashmir, you made Ghulam Nabi Azad Deputy CM and Mufti Mohammad Sayeed the CM. In the same way, I went to Sonia Gandhi’s doorstep three times requesting her to make Siddaramaiah the CM of Karnataka. If Siddaramaiah wants clarity, he may ask her, she is still alive.”

Accusing Siddaramaiah of distorting facts, Gowda said, “You never speak the truth. You say whatever suits the moment. But Sonia Gandhi knows the truth. Ahmed Patel knew it too. Sonia was completely opposed to making you CM. You said you must be our CM candidate or you would go to elections. With no option left, we agreed,” Gowda recalled.

He revealed that to help the party win 58 seats, he had borrowed Rs 2 crore at midnight from a land dealer named Channappa. “Where was Siddaramaiah then? When you speak, show at least some integrity. Don’t lie,” he thundered.

Gowda questioned Siddaramaiah’s claims about his credentials, “Ramakrishna Hegde served as Chief Minister for eight years. Did he make you Finance Minister? It was I who made you Finance Minister. Neither Hegde nor Bommai gave you that responsibility.”

He continued, “What scholar are you? Did you study finance at Oxford University? Are you a Supreme Court lawyer? You are not even a High Court lawyer. You argued just one or two cases in Mysuru. I am alive, Sonia Gandhi is alive, do not lie. Tell us: what contribution have you made to the JDS?”

Referring to Siddaramaiah’s earlier postings, Gowda said, “Hegde made you Chairman of the Kannada Kavalu Samithi. Later, you handled Animal Husbandry or some other minor department. When Veerappa Moily was CM and the government had no money to pay salaries, ₹200 crore was borrowed from Peerless Company. After that, you were made Finance Minister. You know very well the state’s finances were in bad shape. I made you Finance Minister to fix the state’s financial condition. That was my mistake,” he said with regret.

Deve Gowda added, “There were many occasions when I shed tears after making him Deputy Chief Minister. I made him Finance Minister, not Hegde. He should remember that.”

He said Siddaramaiah had contributed nothing to the party. “When I suggested making him State President of the party, Hegde held my hand and said: ‘Make anyone you want, but not this man.’ But I ignored Hegde’s advice,” Gowda explained.

Referring to internal disputes, Gowda said, “They claim I grew politically because of Mallikarjun Kharge and Jalarajappa. I approved a medical college for Kharge’s community and named it after Devaraj Urs. Today it has become the private property of Jalarajappa’s family instead of belonging to the community. This is their idea of social justice!”

He continued, “When they planned the AHINDA convention, I said it should be done on the party platform. They did not listen and instead organised it separately in Hubballi. In the end, I had no choice but to expel him from the party. I have no regrets. Many such people have come and gone. I am not afraid. I will rebuild this party. I will go wherever I am needed. Deve Gowda is not someone who sits idle,” he said.

At the event, Deve Gowda declared, “In the North, it is JD(U). In the South, it is JDS,” stressing, “There it is Nitish Kumar, and here it is Kumaraswamy.”

He added, “Nitish Kumar has been in politics for thirty years. He has taken oath ten times. He is a sharp and intelligent political leader. We must keep that in mind as we move forward.” (ANI)