HIGHLIGHTS | HD Deve Gowda in conversation with DH

Former Prime Minister and JD(S) National President H D Deve Gowda on Tuesday said he has not decided whether to contest the forthcoming Lok Sabha polls but ruled out that he was keen to head the country again.

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The seat-sharing points will be finalised after all of us including both the party leaders sit together and decide on it.

I am thankful to the Deccan Herald and Prajavani for having given me this opportunity today. I am leaving for Delhi now to meet the AICC President Rahul Gandhi.

When I was bedridden, my daughter was inspired by Vallabhbhai Patel's autobiography written by his daughter and decided to pen down my experiences as a leader. She has compiled it already and I have to go through it again. Once I am done with the review, I will release it soon.

When the present coalition govt was sworn in, the who's who of Indian politics descending on Bengaluru. Barring the NDA leaders, a total of 22 leaders had come down to Bengaluru. After in more than 15 elections, BJP has bitten the dust.

In the recent by polls, I myself urged the Congress that we shall go together.

This party is not exclusive to Deve Gowda's family.

Only after consulting with my party leaders I take a call.

My grandson Nikhil is a budding film star. But when he visited a few villagers, they apprise him to contest elections. But he had told them that elders in the party and family will decide on that.

Wherever he went and visited people across Mandya, people wanted him to contest from Mandya. Accordingly, HDK held a convention to evoke opinion.

In fact, HDK brought in Ambareesh to politics. At a later date, he came to me and said he would go his own way and expressed to join Congress. I didn't stop him but wished him good luck...

There have been allegations that I am biassed against my daughter-in-laws. When Madhugiri assembly segment necessitated by-poll, I was eager to give the ticket to a retired IAS officer Veerbhadraiah. But then Chief Secretary did not relieve the bureaucrat from service and then I had to request HDK who had lost then to make his wife contest as she has earned the name for herself in the society.

Later we gave a ticket to Veerabhadraiah only. Otherwise, Anitha wanted to build a channel and make it successful.

My other daughter-in-law Bhavani hails from a political background and she may have the ambition to enter politics. But as far as I know, her ambition is more towards supporting her son in grooming him to be a successful leader.

I do not want to hide anything. I have not decided on contesting in the upcoming polls. In fact in the just concluded parliament, I had requested that this will be my last speech. When Vajpayee was running short of three MPs, he requested me for support and I agreed.

I mustered all farmers from Southern India and prepared a Magna Carta to be submitted to the Centre but nothing happened. Vajpayee talked about India Shining...but could not ensure victory.

When I made the same presentation before UPA prime minister Manmohan Singh, the then finance minister P Chidambaram readily agreed to respond to our pleas.

When I had announced in the Parliament that this would be my last speech, the speaker herself asked why did I talk like this? Several leaders from Congress and Left parties also urged me not to talk like that but I told all of them that I have only revealed what was running through in my mind.

Considering the situation in the country, I have been getting requests and pressure from every quarter to contest polls. Even Mamta Banerjee and other several others have been requesting me to contest.

I have still not made up my mind.

Be it polls or any other matter, I am not afraid to appear for any tests in the eyes of the public.

In all my career I never favoured my family members entry into politics. When I was jailed during Emergency, I had made Puttaswamy Gowda as MLC.

My Son Revanna never wanted to be in politics. When I was languishing in jail he was in Bengaluru while aspiring to be an entrepreneur.Then he decided to contest the Zilla Panchayat polls.

When PGR Scindiya was fielded against me by Ramakrishna Hegde, I never nurtured any hatred against him. Despite his loss in the polls, I had made him Home Minister.

HDK was also working as a cinema producer. He was called in by the MLAs.

Let Congress leader Sidddaramaiah talk anything. Didn't I make him President of the party, Veerendra Patil as the President of Janata Dal.

My grandson is a BE graduate, I had told him to complete his M Tech degree. But he was busy with the local bodies polls, by then he had nurtured ambition to contest assembly polls.

Then I consulted all MLAs from my district and left it to their discretion to decide on his candidature.

When I had lost in Kanakapura, Bengaluru Rural, my son HDK was made to contest from Ramanagara and he won and went on to become CM.

I was bedridden for four months when HDK went ahead with BJP.

The tall claims of Modi government like cashless society, promising to deposit cash into the account of the poor.... people have seen it how these promises have progressed in the last few years.

At the same time, we cannot tell that he has not done anything till date. But most of the programmes is nothing but old wine in a new bottle. Is Swachh Bharat a new concept? Wasn't it known to all of us?

Highway programme...didn't previous governments deliver on this?

The NDA govt claimed to have built a modern bridge in the North East and credited themselves with the success. But according to the locals, they did not even recollect who had laid the foundation for the bridge.

I had sanctioned railway, electricity, and traders were cribbing about falling business. I waived off their loans and brought in a situation when elections can be held.

While visiting Rajouri I ordered that I be driven in an open jeep. But the army officials refused to do so. I visited Kashmir against the advice of intelligence. Same is the situation when I visited North-East. I visited all such locations like any other common man.

I initiated talks and stage for the Naga accord. But they could not take it forward until now.

Rahul Gandhi has an ambition of becoming PM of India. Even Mamta Banerjee also has an ambition of becoming PM and she has come from a humble background. Even so, is the ambition of Mayawati.

But if there is any such situation wherein Rahul is elected as PM, I will extend my support for whatever he has done to my son.

Today the PM claims that development happens only if there is a stable government. If so didn't my government do anything? Didn't Vajpayee achieve anything?Why are they talking like this?

When we fought Kargil War, soldiers had no shoes, jackets to protect against the gruelling cold. It is replete with all.But today I do not understand why is the PM talking as if the progress of the country has happened due to his actions.

Today, we have formed a govt with the support of a party which has 130 years of history.I never asked for their support.

But their top leader Ghulam Nabi Azad came down and revealed that the High Command wants to make HDK as CM of Karnataka. But we did not agree.

Then I had told them to make Kharge as CM and don't make my son as CM.

But Ghulam Nabi very clearly put across the Congress High Command's words to make HDK as CM, says Deve Gowda.

One must understand that the PM is now struggling hard to stitch up a coalition and crisscrossing the country to win the requisite strength to form the government. This itself manifests how much reputation has eroded in the public's view.

Vajpayee was a great man. When he was unable to muster the majority, he stepped down then.

Then Congress and all other secular parties had taken a decision to extend support from outside and collectively took a decision to make VP Singh as Prime Minister. But later the name of Jyoti Basu. But subsequently, the polit bureau decided and resolved to recommend my name. Even then I had pleaded to them that don't spoil my career and I do not want to become PM. There have been so many people and they should be provided with an opportunity.

But then he made a sarcastic remark and said that there is no one to challenge Vajpayee.

They later to came to Bengaluru and requested me whether I can host a dinner for the delegates? By then as CM of Karnataka, I had taken up several revolutionary programmes in the state.

Looking at all my activities and programmes they had decided that this man is capable of doing something and take everybody together, says Deve Gowda.

Modi claims as if every work in the country has been executed by him and due to his administration.

All of us must understand that people of this country have the capability to understand which leader is talking what and they are capable of analysing it before they cast vote.

People will not easily forget that Modi had claimed that he will make India corruption free. But then a major allegation was levelled against the CM of Madhya Pradesh in Lok Sabha. What did they do?

The tech prowess adopted by the BJP enabling PM address multiple rallies across the country at the same time has not been done by any PMs so far in India.

PM Modi has the talent of talking according to the situation. But he is not aware that whatever he talks will come back to him. He can be called 'Mahan Gilaavat'. He had previously gone to DMK leader Karunanidhi's house in Tamil Nadu. But now aligning with the AIADMK and the entire country is watching this.

Everywhere there is a buzz that surgical strike 2 will help BJP win more seats.

BJP is claiming that no political party could do so what they have done. They have been projecting it like that

No leader should talk sarcastically and it will only dent the reputation of the seat he is occupying, says H D Deve Gowda

Whatever the HD Kumaraswamy-led coalition government has delivered till date will be our report card and we will face General Elections 2019 by showcasing those works, says H D Deve Gowda

I'm grateful and thankful to the management of The Printers Mysore for having invited me for this interaction.

In today's scenario, there is scope for early preparation for any polls. We were sceptical that any preparations in this regard would come on the way of functioning the coalition government and hence decided not to prepare for the polls, says Deve Gowda.

Today on behalf of Deccan Herald and Prajavani, an interaction with former PM HD Deve Gowda has been organised in Bengaluru. It will be telecast live on Facebook and YouTube

Former Prime Minister Haradanahalli Doddegowda Deve Gowda is considered the unifying force behind the Opposition front that is being formed to challenge the current Narendra Modi-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.

Gowda was born on May 18, 1933, in Haradanahalli village in the then Kingdom of Mysore. He received a civil engineering diploma from L V Polytechnic in Hassan.

His political life began as a worker for the Indian National Congress. In 1962, he emerged victorious as an independent candidate in the Assembly election from Holenarasipura constituency. He went on to represent the same constituency for six consecutive terms until 1989.

During the split of the Congress party, Gowda joined the Congress (O) led by K Kamaraj and Morarji Desai. He became the Leader of the Opposition in the Karnataka Assembly between 1972 and 1976. He was arrested as part of the crackdown on Opposition leaders during the Emergency declared by then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi.

Gowda joined the Janata Party and led the state unit twice. During the Ramakrishna Hegde government (1983-1988), Gowda served as a minister. As Janata Dal President in 1994, he played a crucial role in the victory of the party in the Assembly elections and became the chief minister of Karnataka.

Gowda was chosen as the surprise prime minister of the United Front (a non-BJP and non-Congress coalition) following the uncertainty from the results of the 1996 Lok Sabha elections. He only served in the post until April 1997.

Prior to the 1999 Lok Sabha elections, some leaders of the Janata Dal decided to join the BJP-led NDA and Gowda decided to form the Janata Dal (Secular) party. He did not win in the 1999 elections but managed a victory in the Kanakapura by-elections in 2002.

In 2006, his son H D Kumaraswamy made an alliance with the BJP and formed the government in Karnataka. Gowda then expelled his party leaders Siddaramaiaha and C M Ibrahim from the JD(S) after the leaders led the AHINDA movement, an umbrella movement of Dalits and minority communities in the state. Subsequently, Siddaramaiah and C M Ibrahim joined the Congress and the former became chief minister in 2013.

The JD(S) patriarch stood firmly behind a secular coalition during the 2018 Karnataka Assembly polls by forming a pact with the BSP and others. After the elections, upon the insistence of Gowda, the warring JD(S) and the Congress formed an alliance and a coalition government in order to prevent the BJP from coming to power in the state.