Former prime minister and JD(S) supremo H D Deve Gowda has said that the party will stand by the Left parties in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls. Addressing a news conference in Bengaluru on Saturday after releasing the 12-point poll promises Deve Gowda said, “We are sharing seats with the Left party in Kerala and CPM leader Sitaram Yechury is in touch with me.”
Speaking about the reservation issue, Deve Gowda said that he has been fair to all communities. “The Valmikis were given ST reservation because of me. Havanur commission identified rural Vokkaligas as most backward and gave 9% reservation. I ensured 4% to Muslims, 1% to most backward and 4% to Vokkaligas,” he stated.
Deve Gowda reiterated that he was not an accidental prime minister. “I was a elected prime minister with 13 support of 13 parties. We won 16 seats in Karnataka then. Jyoti Basu requested me and I accepted his request with pain,” he said.
Published 15 April 2023, 16:31 IST