JD(S) workers have lost confidence in leadership: Madhu

In fresh trouble for the H D Deve Gowda-led JD(S), the party’s working president Madhu Bangarappa on Monday broke his silence and said party workers had “lost confidence” in the leadership.

Speaking to mediapersons here on Monday on the occasion of his birthday, Madhu called himself an “inactive working president”. He said the party had failed to take the workers into confidence during the coalition government.

“I am neither pointing fingers at Deve Gowda nor H D Kumaraswamy. When I say the leadership failed the workers, I am implicating myself as well,” he said. Over time, the party had been unable to respond to the needs of the workers, which has turned out to be a crisis for JD(S), according to him.

Madhu also spoke about H Vishwanath quitting the party. He said he had held discussions with the leader and tried his best to discourage him from quitting, but there were forces within the party creating misunderstanding between him and Kumaraswamy, Madhu said.

Taking potshots at MLC Ramesh Gowda, the JD(S) working president said there were senior and more deserving candidates in the party, who could have been picked over him for the post. However, he specified that he had no plans of leaving the party.