Former Prime Minister and JD(S) supremo H.D. Deve Gowda has said that Chief Minister D.V. Sadananda Gowda fell victim to a false propaganda battle carried out by his own party members, which was similar to a campaign carried out against former chief minister Dharam Singh when he was in power from 2004-06.
Mr Gowda said, “Mr Sadananda Gowda’s colleagues unleashed a campaign that he was performing his administrative functions at my behest. Let me make it clear that it has been seven months since I met Mr Sadananda Gowda or spoke to him’’.
Recalling the campaign against Mr Singh by his colleagues, Mr Gowda said that if Mr Singh had listened to him, H.D. Kumaraswamy would not have toppled the Congress-JD(S) coalition government. “Who was responsible for forcing Mr Kumaraswamy to join hands with BJP and form a coalition government under a 20:20 month tenure sharing arrangement?’’ he asked.
When asked about the predominance of the caste factor which had made a new government necessary, Mr Gowda said this was an internal problem of the BJP and he had nothing to say on it. “However, BJP leaders, who are leveling unnecessary charges against us, should remember that Mr Yeddyurappa wanted to join my party some years ago when he was involved in a running feud with Mr Ananth Kumar. His supporters, Ms Shobha Karandlaje (energy minister) and Mr Ramachandra Gowda had even come to my house. They wanted to know if if I was ready to give him a ministerial bearth if Mr Yeddyurappa resigns from the BJP and joins JD(S). I told them that the Congress would not agree to the formula,’’ he added.