Bengaluru: Former prime minister, H.D. Deve Gowda on Sunday asserted that none from former railway minister and Congress veteran, C.K. Jaffer Sharief's family had joined JD(S).
Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of a programme in the city, Mr Gowda said, “No, neither his grandson Rehman Sharief nor Mr Sharief approached me. These are just rumours that are being circulated. It is not appropriate on my part to fuel any speculation that will harm Mr Sharief’s reputation.”
Responding to a question, the JD(S) supremo disclosed that the party had authorised its Chamamrajpet MLA and minority community leader B.Z. Zameer Ahmed Khan to decide whether to field a candidate or not in the Hebbal Assembly bypoll.
“The party will go by Mr Khan's decision. If anyone including former minister and Congress leader, C.M. Ibrahim meets Mr Khan, it should not be immediately linked to the Hebbal bypoll, it could be just a meeting of two minority community leaders,” he asserted.
Mr Gowda reiterated that neither Mr Rehman Sharief nor Jaffer Sharief had spoken or approached him for the party ticket for Hebbal.
“It is too premature to say anything on this. Any more talk on this issue would harm the reputation of Mr Sharief, who had been with the Congress party for more than five decades,” he said.
