Sob opera: Gowda, family get into defensive mode

The Deve Gowda family got into a defensive mode on Thursday after the media highlighted the ‘sob opera’ of the family, including H D Revanna, Bhavani Revanna and Hassan Lok Sabha election JD(S) candidate Prajwal, during a programme in Holenarasipur taluk on Wednesday.

While Deve Gowda clarified that he did not shed tears for his grandson in Mandya, Revanna justified his father’s act by saying that the tears were for his old friends at Moodalahippe village.

After announcing Nikhil Kumaraswamy as the party’s candidate from the Mandya Lok Sabha constituency at a meeting here, Gowda said, “The BJP leaders have ridiculed me for being emotional at a programme in Holenarasipur on Wednesday. The tears were not for my grandson. I turned emotional after seeing my friends and village after 60 years. But I will not shed tears today,” he said.

Gowda said, “I had told the Congress high command not to make H D Kumaraswamy chief minister and recommended the name of Mallikarjun Kharge (Congress leader in Lok Sabha), during the alliance talks. But, that party was adamant. We had to accept the offer as Congress president Rahul Gandhi insisted on it”.

Justifying his decision of zeroing in on Nikhil as the party’s Mandya candidate, Gowda said, “Kumaraswamy underwent surgery for the second time during the last Assembly election. Nikhil had told that he will stand for his father, who is not keeping well and strengthen the party. I had observed him and decided that he would follow the path of his father. Hence, I decided to give him an opportunity”.

Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy targeted Sumalatha, without mentioning her name. “The person who was against my idea of bringing the mortal remains of (actor-politician) Ambareesh to Mandya is now talking about Mandya’s soil,” he criticised.

“Ambareesh is like my own brother. I took the decision like his brother and not as a CM. Those, who are questioning this, should ask about this, only with Ambareesh’s (Atma) soul. It is not enough to speak about self-respect on social media and on screens. It should come from the heart,” he
said.