BENGALURU: Former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda, who was on Thursday re-elected as Janata Dal (Secular) chief, has emphasised the role of regional political parties and said that it isn’t easy to destroy a regional party, not only in Karnataka, but in the entire country.
The JD-S, which is bracing for next year’s Assembly polls in Karnataka, has been maintaining distance from both the BJP and Congress and is expected to announce its first list of candidates on November 1.
“Why are national political parties so scared of a regional political party? That itself shows that they are trembling. It isn’t easy to destroy a regional party, not only in Karnataka, but in the entire country”, Deve Gowda told ANI.
He was responding to apparent efforts of the BJP and Congress to make light of the presence of JD-S in the state. The Congress and JD-S have in the past accused each other of being the ‘B-team’ of BJP.
Deve Gowda (89) had in August expressed hope that the erstwhile Janata Dal family will emerge as a political alternative in the country to the BJP. His remarks came after Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar broke ties with the BJP and rejoined hands with RJD to form a government with allies of Mahagathbandhan.
“I’ve been watching the developments in Bihar. It made me think of the days when the Janata Dal Parivar was under one roof. It gave three PMs. I’m in my advanced years, but if the younger generation decides, it can offer a good alternative,” Deve Gowda had said in a tweet.
On Thursday, JD-S leader and former Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy had slammed the BJP, accusing it of attempting to carry out ‘Operation Lotus’ in Telangana. (ANI)