I could’ve been deputy CM, says JD(S) leader GT Deve Gowda

JD(S) legislator G T Deve Gowda claimed on Wednesday that he could have become deputy chief minister in exchange for helping the BJP topple the H D Kumaraswamy-led coalition government.

Gowda said this after paying Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) President D K Shivakumar a visit.

“We made Kumaraswamy the chief minister. I’m not someone who’d topple my own CM for the sake of power. It’s not humanity,” Gowda told reporters when asked about him joining the BJP. “I didn’t aspire to become the deputy chief minister by removing our own CM and joining the BJP. There was that demand, but I didn’t go,” he said.

Ever since the Congress-JD(S) coalition fell apart last year, Gowda has maintained a distance from the regional party, fuelling speculation that he might be considering a future with the BJP. Gowda famously defeated Congress’ Siddaramaiah in the Chamundeshwari constituency in the 2018 assembly election.

“Right now, I’m serving as a JD(S) MLA. In the next election, I will decide based on the blessings of Goddess Chamundeshwari and whatever my constituents say,” he said, adding that he was not sure from which party he would contest the next election.

In the previous coalition government, Gowda was the higher education minister, a portfolio he did not want. “During my election, Kumaraswamy had promised that I will be given a position that will be equivalent to that of the CM. But then, it was a coalition set-up and he had his own limitations. I’m not holding anything against (Kumaraswamy),” he said.

Gowda also backed Shivakumar over the CBI raids. “The raid could have taken place after the (Sira and Rajarajeshwarinagar) bypolls. Nothing would have changed. Naturally, if there’s a raid during an election, people will think it was politically motivated,” Gowda said, adding that he visited Shivakumar to show support.