‘Pained by Cong leaders blaming JD(S) tie up for Lok Sabha poll rout’

PTI, Jun 29, 2019, 8:18 AM IST

Bengaluru: JD(S) National President H D Deve Gowda Friday said he was “pained” by Congress leaders comments, blaming the tie up with JD(S) for their party’s debacle in the Lok Sabha polls.

“I was pained –when at a meeting in the presence of their national General secretary– someone (Congress leaders) said that the party was in trouble because of its tie up with JD(S).

It has come out in the media. Some in the media even quoted the word (accusing JDS)of back stabbing…”,Gowda said.

Speaking to reporters here, the former Prime Minister noted that it was Congress leaders who had come to him after the May 2018 assembly polls hung verdict and wanted his son H D Kumaraswamy to lead the coalition government.

“We never asked that Kumaraswamy should be made Chief Minister.

Lets be honest with 37 seats.. is it a dharma to ask for (CM)? They (Congress leaders) on Delhi high commands order had come and said Kumaraswamy should become (CM),” Gowda said.

He said he had suggested that Mallikarjun Kharge be made the CM or G Parameshwara, the current deputy Chief Minister or senior Congress leader K H Muniyappa.

Congress candidates in Karnataka have blamed the alliance with the JD(S), issues within the party and alleged misuse of Electronic Voting Machines as the reasons for their defeat in the Lok Sabha polls, during their meeting with AICC General Secretary K C Venugopal on Wednesday.

Lamenting about his defeat in Chikkaballapura, senior Congress leader M Veerappa Moily had recently said the party would have won 15 to 16 seats in the LS polls had there been no tie up with JD(S) and that trusting the alliance was a “mistake.”

Veteran party leader Muniyappa, who lost from Kolar Lok Sabha seat, had also made similar comments.

In its worst ever performance in Karnataka, Congress was routed in the Lok Sabha polls, winning just one seat.

JD(S) too had won one seat.

Congress and JD(S) that faced the Lok Sabha polls together as per the coalition arrangement had contested in 21 and seven seats respectively.

In its best ever performance, BJP had won 25 out of 27 seats it had contested in.

An independent candidate supported by the saffron party, Sumalatha Ambareesh, had won in Mandya.

Meanwhile, the JD(S) patriarch Friday indicated that a Dalit leader from the party was likely to be its next state unit chief.

“We have not declared state unit President and youth wing president today…Thimmarayappa (MLA) also is there, former Minister H K Kumaraswamy is also there.

There is nothing that those who have won have to be given or those who have lost should not be given (the post).

I will decide, I have been given that independence,” Gowda said.

On July 11 or 12 a rally will be organized by SC wing of the party where I will announce my final decision,” he added.

Speculations were rife that Gowda was likely to announce the new party state unit chief on Friday at a JD(S) meeting.

He had on Monday said the new state president would be appointed in three-four days.

The present president A H Vishwanath resigned from the post recently, but Gowda has not yet accepted it.

As Vishwanath recently threatened to resign from the Karnataka assembly if he was not relieved from his responsibility, the party leadership finally decided to find a replacement for him.

Gowda on Thursday had appointed former minister Leeladevi R Prasad as the president of party state women’s wing.