Bengaluru, March 18: Former Prime Minister and JD(S) Rajya Sabha member H.D. Deve Gowda referred to the old alliance between his party and Congress as a “forced marriage,” stating that it ultimately ended in “divorce.”
Gowda made these remarks in response to Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge’s statement in Parliament. Kharge had humorously mentioned that Gowda once “loved” Congress but later “married” Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP.
Gowda explained that he was not present in the house at that time as he had gone to Bengaluru to participate in the Ugadi festival. He described Kharge as an old friend and acknowledged that his statement was made in jest, but he also wanted to respond in a similar manner.
He stated, “If I were to respond in the same language, I would say that my alliance with Congress was a forced marriage, which I had to end as it became an ‘abusive relationship.'”
Recalling the circumstances following the 2018 Karnataka Assembly elections, Gowda noted that Congress leadership had approached JD(S) for an alliance. He mentioned that senior Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad had proposed making H.D. Kumaraswamy the Chief Minister.
According to Gowda, he had suggested Kharge for the Chief Minister position in the presence of Siddaramaiah and other leaders, but Azad insisted on Kumaraswamy’s name.
Reflecting on the collapse of the coalition government in 2019, Gowda accused Congress of failing to prevent its legislators from defecting. He pointed out that several Congress MLAs joined the BJP, and it is well-known who encouraged these defections.
He criticized Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, saying that if action had been taken against those responsible at that time, Kharge’s position as Congress President would be much stronger today.
Gowda clarified that JD(S) did not leave Congress. He stated, “To set the record straight, I did not leave the Congress alliance. They left me, forcing me to seek a stable coalition.”
Arpit Soni has had a passion for journalism since the beginning. Now he has turned this hobby into his profession. Arpit, who is a resident of Udaipur, enjoys editing and writing news related to journalism. He has worked as a Senior Content Producer in several important roles at Bhaskar, Patrika, Pratahkal, Punjab Kesari, and Times. Arpit completed his schooling in Udaipur and Jaipur. He has been working in the media industry for more than 10 years, and his journey is still continuing. ✍️📚
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