Bengaluru, Nov 23 (LatestNewsX) – Former prime minister and JD (S) National President H.D. Deve Gowda reiterated that his party will stay within the NDA coalition, saying it would not break ties with the alliance under any scenario.
“We have complete faith in the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Amit Shah,” he told the gathering.
After launching the JDS Silver Jubilee celebrations, he echoed a similar sentiment: “We stand firmly with the NDA. We trust Prime Minister Modi’s leadership. A strong government is in place under him. Our workers and leaders must never forget this.”
When discussing regional dynamics, Gowda noted, “In the North, it is JD (U). In the South, it is JD (S),” stressing, “There it is Nitish Kumar, and here it is Kumaraswamy.” He went on to highlight Nitish Kumar’s three‑decade political tenure, his decade of oath‑bearings, and praised him as a sharp and intelligent leader, urging the party to remember this as it progresses.
Recounting the party’s historical national ties, Gowda mentioned that during the Emergency they had collaborated with Jayaprakash Narayan and the then‑BJP in the second freedom struggle, stressing that continued cooperation for the nation’s good remains essential and that Congress should learn a lesson from its perceived misgovernance on the ground.
Turning to Siddaramaiah, Gowda condemned the former chief minister’s claim that he would never have become chief minister had he stayed in JD (S). “I was ready to make him chief minister,” Gowda said.
He recalled how Sonia Gandhi at one time insisted on appointing Dharam Singh as Karnataka’s chief minister, and that he had repeatedly approached her to secure the post for Siddaramaiah. Gowda urged the former leader to act with an added layer of integrity and suggested he could still engage the current leadership.
Gowda accused Siddaramaiah of distorting facts, saying, “You never speak the truth. You say whatever suits the moment. But Sonia Gandhi knows the truth. Ahmed Patel knew it too.” He reminded Siddaramaiah that the appointment was ultimately made under political necessity, and that at one point he had borrowed Rs 2 crore from a land dealer to secure seats for the party.
Challenging Siddaramaiah’s credentials, Gowda asked, “What scholar are you? Did you study finance at Oxford University? Are you a Supreme Court lawyer? You are not even a High Court lawyer. You argued just one or two cases in Mysuru. I am alive, Sonia Gandhi is alive, do not lie. Tell us: what contribution have you made to the JD (S)?”
He then addressed his earlier decision to appoint Siddaramaiah as finance minister, claiming that while the state’s finances were in disarray, Gowda had believed the move would stabilise them—an attempt he now acknowledged as a mistake. Gowda further recalled that he had once appointed Siddaramaiah as deputy chief minister and later as finance minister, stressing that Siddaramaiah should not forget these appointments.
Gowda stated that Siddaramaiah had contributed little to the party, noting an instance when he suggested his appointment as state president, but former prime minister Ramakrishna Hegde had warned against it. “I ignored Hegde’s advice,” Gowda said.
On internal disagreements, Gowda said the party had been accused of listing Mallikarjun Kharge and Jalappa as the real drivers of his political ascent. He explained that he had approved a medical college for Kharge’s community and named it after Devaraj Urs, but the institution later became a private property of the Jalappa family, which he described as a misguided form of “social justice.”
Regarding the AHINDA convention, Gowda said he insisted it be held on the party’s platform, but the organisers proceeded separately in Hubballi. Consequently, he had to expel certain members, a decision he had no regrets about. “Many such people have come and gone,” he concluded. “I will rebuild this party. I will go wherever I am needed. Deve Gowda is not someone who sits idle.”
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