Bengaluru, Mar 12 : Former Prime Minister and JDS supremo HD Deve Gowda on Saturday ruled out any pre-poll alliance with the BJP in the 2023 state assembly election. “Isn’t it laughable if we had to join hands with the BJP,” he told reporters here. He was replying to a query on whether his party would have a pre-poll alliance with the ruling BJP in the state. “This is a party that once ruled the country. The party faced troubles due to envy, intolerance and other reasons. Many did not digest a Kannadiga becoming the prime minister. At present, we have 28 MLAs. I intend to go before the people and submit to them the works we had done during our rule,” he said. Speculation was rife amidst bonhomie between JDS and BJP members during the ongoing budget session, where the Congress members alleged that HD Kumaraswamy was backing Basavaraj Bommai’s maiden budget. Interestingly, the cordiality between JDS supremo and Prime Minister Narendra Modi continues further. Today, he lavished praise on Modi for BJP’s performance in four out of five state assembly polls. BJP won Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Manipur and Goa assembly elections, except Punjab where the party’s presence is not deep. “PM Modi is working hard towards bringing BJP to power in every corner of the country. He does the election work with dedication. However, we will fight against two national parties in the state. There is no question of forging an alliance,” Gowda said. On March 20, JDS organised a public meeting where collective decisions will chalk out the road map for winning 123 seats in 2023 polls. BDN SHK2108