Congress high command prevented Mallikarjun Kharge from becoming CM: H D Deve Gowda

Janata Dal (Secular) national president H D Deve Gowda claimed that the Congress high command prevented Mallikarjun Kharge from becoming chief minister, though the JD(S) had backed his candidature for the top post in Karnataka.

Speaking to media persons here on Sunday, Gowda said, “I wanted Kharge to become CM. Given the deteriorating health of H D Kumaraswamy, I had asked Ghulam Nabi Azad and Ashok Gehlot to make Kharge as CM. But they said both Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi wanted Kumaraswamy to be chief minister for five years.”

Without naming the Leader of the Opposition in assembly Siddaramaiah, Gowda said everyone knows who is responsible for the downfall of the coalition government.

“(Everyone knows) Whose followers went to Mumbai on whose instruction. Who made the statement that joining hands with JD(S) had resulted in lesser seats to the Congress in the Lok sabha,” he said, adding that inspite of repeated insult from the Congress, the JD(S) had joined hands with the Congress as Prime Minister Narendra Modi had made a statement of making India Congress Mukt.

“I have sympathy for the Congress,” he said.

Completely defeated

Gowda said, not just his party, but even he has been completely defeated. But, as a fighter, he knows how to fight his way back to power. He said he would shoulder the responsibility of strengthening his party and prepare it for the next elections.

"Our primary focus would be on strengthening the JD(S) and reviving it. A nine-member core committee, consisting of senior JD(S) leaders, would be announced shortly. The committee would tour all the districts and taluks of the district to recognise and assign loyal party workers the responsibility of increasing the party strength and to contest the elections," Gowda said.

"Many candidates including myself have lost elections. My priority is to prepare the party for the upcoming assembly and parliamentary elections, which are likely to be held simultaneously in 2023," he added.

He said the Union Budget has failed to address the issues concerning the farm sector. The Centre was expected to take some concrete steps to strengthen the farm sector considering the dire state of affairs. However, the Union Budget has bundled together several schemes and presented it as special package. Moreover, budgetary allocation for the agriculture sector has been reduced by Rs 1 lakh crore, he said.

He has accused the ruling dispensation in the state of indulging in hate politics and said that most of the developmental works sanctioned during the Kumaraswamy government have been cancelled.

"On one side the BJP leaders talk about not indulging in hate politics but on the other, they miss no opportunity to trouble the opposition party workers. Withdrawal projects and grants released by the previous government have hindered the development activities in many areas. This apart, the JD(S) workers are being harrased and assaulted using the police force," he said.