Mandya: The battle for JD(S) vote bank in the Old Mysuru region has begun with former PM H.D. Deve Gowda declaring that he would not tolerate those who backstabbed the party.
Participating in a felicitation function of Mr Srikante Gowda, who was recently elected to the Legislative Council from the South Graduates constituency, Mr Gowda said his party had survived because of workers and not because of legislators. However, he stopped short of naming rebel MLAs N Cheluvarayaswamy and Ramesh Bandisidde Gowda, who along with six others, had voted for the Congress candidate in the Rajya Sabha polls. While most JD(S) local body members were present during the function, the supporters of the two MLAs were absent. The building of a party is a continuous process. No one is above it, those who work against the party while remaining within it would not be spared, the JD(S) supremo thundered. “At this age, I don’t have to become PM again, or CM. I will continue my struggle for farmers. In Mandya alone, over 100 farmers have committed suicide. While the government is least bothered about it, the BJP is on a party building spree. Even on the Cauvery water issue, the state has suffered,” Mr Gowda said.
However, former minister and six time MLC Mr Basavaraj Horatti, who is tipped for the post of Legislative Council chairman, struck a cautious note. The party suffered a setback due to the wrong steps taken by state president Mr H.D. Kumaraswamy, who trusts people too easily. Mr Kumaraswamy cannot differentiate between good and bad people, Mr Horatti said.
He wanted the party to take a clear stance on its alliances in future, whether it is with the Congress or BJP. Joining hands with the Congress or BJP in some places would do no good to the party and would make people suspect the commitment of JD(S) to their welfare, he said.
