Deve Gowda compliments PM Modi on his winning ‘streak’

Shyam Sundar Vattam | NT

Complimenting Prime Minister Narendra Modi for conducting the elections “systematically”, former PM and JDS National President HD Deve Gowda said the Congress has not been able to contain the growth of the BJP across the country since 2014.

Talking to reporters here on Saturday, he said the results of Assembly polls held in five states have gone in favour of the BJP. But he would not talk about the state Congress leaders as they have questioned the contributions of the JD(S) and BJP. Talking in support of the BJP does not mean a tie-up between the two parties, as his party will field its own candidates against Congress and the BJP in the 2023 Assembly polls, he said.

Commenting on the state budget for the year 2022-23, Gowda asked who did Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai wand to impress when he earmarked Rs 5,000 crore for the Upper Krishna Project.

For drinking water schemes in his district, only Rs 3,000 crore has been kept aside when the project cost was around Rs 8,000 crore. “How much can be done with the little money? As PM, I had released more money for the completion of projects in the Cauvery basin. Congress party leaders undertook a padayatra to bring Cauvery water to Bengaluru. People know my contribution towards irrigation projects in the state. The Congress leaders insisted on starting the padayatra from Ramanagar for reasons best known to them. It was I who ensured water for Chennapatna, Ramanagar and Bengaluru,” he said.

On Congress MLC CM Ibrahim joining the JDS, Gowda said the discussion has been going on over the last few months. “So far, he has not come and told us about his intentions to join the JDS. Ibrahim was harassed by many Congress leaders in the past, which has pained him a lot. Let’s wait and see what will happen in the future,” he said.

He defended his son HD Kumaraswamy’s speech on the budget in the Legislative Assembly and said he had spoken well, with documents to support his statements. He said it was not just to impress people that he had made the speech.

On the matter of early polls, the former PM said “Why not? The JDS is ready to face elections anytime. But it is not easy to have mid-term polls, an opinion even former CM BS Yediyurappa has expressed. Of course, emerging victorious is not easy.”