On Friday evening, soon after holding an election meeting in Malur for the Janata Dal (Secular) candidate in Kolar – one of the three Lok Sabha seats that his party is contesting in Karnataka in an alliance with the BJP – party supremo and former prime minister H D Deve Gowda, 91, headed to the house of BJP dissident Hoodi Vijay Kumar to seek his support.
For the first time since 1999, Deve Gowda himself is not a candidate in the Lok Sabha polls, but he has been on the road almost every day, campaigning for the BJP-led NDA’s candidates. Most of that time has been spent in Hassan – the family borough where his grandson Prajwal Revanna, the sitting Lok Sabha MP, is seen as in need of the goodwill for the JD(S) patriarch.
The former PM has also undertaken campaigning in Bengaluru Rural, Tumkur, Chikamagalur, Mysore, Chikkaballapur in south Karnataka, where the JD(S) has a large support base, attending two to five poll meetings in every constituency.
While he cannot walk without assistance due to his age, Deve Gowda remains sharp and lucid in his speeches.
On Saturday, Deve Gowda spent time at his home in Bengaluru for lunch with wife Chennamma before heading for an afternoon rally with PM Narendra Modi. He also performed puja, pointing out that “it is Hanuman Jayanti on April 23”, before sitting down for an interview with The Indian Express. Excerpts:
Is there a plan regading how many constituencies you will campaign in?
I have the task of ensuring the victory of the NDA in the 28 Lok Sabha seats in Karnataka… When I joined the NDA, I negotiated everything… The first time I discussed the alliance was with Union Home Minister Amit Shah, where (son H D) Kumaraswamy was also present. I did not ask about the number of seats they will give us or what else they will provide. We did not discuss the number of times they would come and where they would campaign. Why should I ask?
How is the new JD(S)-BJP alliance working out on the ground?
There are no problems… This combination of the JD(S) and BJP is not only for the Lok Sabha polls but will continue for the Assembly elections too.
Is this alliance working better than your tie-up with the Congress in 2019?
We have seen the Congress. How many times must we experiment? We know what the Congress is about. The JD(S) is fighting in three seats and the BJP in 25 seats this time. In 2019, the JD(S) was in a ruling alliance with the Congress in the state and fought seven seats but won only one, while the Congress contested 21 seats and also won only one seat. The BJP won 25 seats.
You say at your poll meetings that PM Modi is the only person capable of leading the country at present…
Tell me, who is there in the INDIA grouping who is capable of leading the country. Show me one person. If there is a person who can shoulder the responsibility in INDIA, then there is no need to discuss. Today in this country there is no one other than Modi. I am 91. I have not seen any other leader who can shoulder the responsibility as PM for the third term.
Many people feel the alliance with the BJP will cost the JD(S) its space in Karnataka in the long run.
Who feels that? It is the Congress leaders in Karnataka, that too (Chief Minister) Siddaramaiah and (Deputy CM) D K Shivakumar. They are looting the state’s resources to support the Congress in elections in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh. What happened? In the Telangana elections, all the contractors working in Karnataka were dumped in Telangana. They spent all their resources and they won.
Rahul Gandhi is saying there is no Modi wave and that the BJP will not get more than 150 seats in the country.
Rahul Gandhi spoke at Kolar three days ago. I do not want to comment on it. (Rahul said at the Kolar rally that the NDA government is spreading inequality in the country and that Congress guarantees would create fairness in society). You have seen the statement of Pinarayi Vijayan on Rahul Gandhi. He referred to (CPM veteran V S) Achuthanandan’s remarks saying that Rahul Gandhi is still an ‘Amul Baby’…
Is the current election in Karnataka a battle between the Congress guarantee schemes and the leadership of PM Modi and Deve Gowda?
The Congress guarantees did not work in Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh or in Madhya Pradesh. It is after Kumaraswamy’s Pancharathna programme (proposed ahead of the 2023 Assembly polls) that the Congress adopted these guarantees. Kumaraswamy promised waiver of Rs 25,000 crore of farm loans and the Jaladhare programme (on water rights of the state).
Just before the elections, they promised their guarantees. People immediately thought the Congress has given a good programme. Now they have announced 28 guarantees. Will they come to power (at the Centre)? They were unable to get recognition of Leader of the Opposition in the last two elections. Kharge is there, Sonia Gandhi is there, Rahul Gandhi is there but they were unable to get 55 seats to get recognition. People are not fools.
One of the key concerns in Karnataka is the failure of national parties to raise issues concerning the state, such as the Cauvery water issue. Will the JD(S) be able to address it as an NDA partner?
Yes. I am not going to talk to Modi right now on a public platform. He knows about the drinking water problem in Bangalore city. In the previous election he made a very categorical remark about the drinking water problem in Bangalore city… I have discussed this with the Jal Shakti Minister.
Stalin (Tamil Nadu CM and DMK chief) says in his manifesto that he will not allow the Mekedatu project (to provide drinking water from the Cauvery river to Bengaluru) or supply of water from Cauvery. It is in his manifesto. Manmohan Singh (ex-PM) survived for 10 years in power only because of the DMK.
Now Modi himself has already entered Tamil Nadu in some areas. There have been two to three mammoth rallies in southern Tamil Nadu. This time the BJP will enter the Tamil Nadu Assembly, and even in Parliament, there is a possibility of it winning one or two seats. This is the position.
What were the circumstances when you became the PM in 1996 of an alliance of 13 parties?
I was the PM elected by 13 parties. After the (Atal Bihari) Vajypayee government was defeated after 13 days, the CMs of all the parties of the United Front held a meeting. Narasimha Rao, on May 12, 1996, after discussions in their (Congress) Working Committee decided they could not form the government.
They said that if all other parties other than the BJP join hands, they will support from the outside. In the background of that decision, the Comminist Party Marxists – Harkishan Surjeet and Jyoti Basu – decided that we could form the government. We (the Janata Dal) had won 16 seats (in Karnataka) with me as the CM. They called all of us. We met and proposed to make V P Singh the PM. Murasoli Maran, Chandrababu Naidu and I went to his (V P Singh’s) house. He seated us on the lawn and gave us tea. We sat for two hours and they later communicated that he would not agree.
After that we decided to make Jyoti Basu the PM, and he agreed. Naturally they called a Politburo meeting at Banga Bhawan and the young turks (of the CPM) did not agree. He came back and proposed my name for PM.
The reason probably is that I had provided reservations for Muslims, resolved the Eidgah Maidan issue, and proposed reservations for women. These programmes helped us win 16 seats and it did not happen in the tenure of any one else from the Janata Dal. I had taken some radical steps. I gave priority to irrigation projects.
They (the United Front) said they will elect Deve Gowda. I said my political life will be spoiled. I had been CM for only 18 months and after great difficulty. I was hesitant. They said that then we would have to tell the media that there is no one among us who can stand up to Vajpayee. I said this should not be said and that there are many people who can stand up. I agreed to the proposal.
The former PM has undertaken campaigning in Bengaluru Rural, Tumkur, Chikamagalur, Mysore, Chikkaballapur in south Karnataka. (Express Archives) 
Share
