File photo of Siddaramaiah with H D Deve Gowda.
Credit: DH File Photo
Bengaluru: The BJP-JD(S) alliance has turned the upcoming Lok Sabha election into a direct confrontation between secular and communal forces, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said Saturday, while lamenting that his former mentor H D Deve Gowda was in “bad company.”
Siddaramaiah was reacting to Gowda, the JD(S) supremo, declaring Friday that his party wants to “destroy” Congress in Karnataka.
“Despite his curse, we wish him and his party long life and good health,” Siddaramaiah said in a statement. “I believe that (Gowda), who had worn the crown of secularism for decades, is now forced to cast it aside and wear the crown of communalism. This is leading him to make such statements out of disappointment and despair,” he said.
Siddaramaiah said no party should wish for the end of another party. “The BJP’s loose talk of making ‘Congress-mukt Bharat’ seems to have influenced Deve Gowda, too. This is the result of bad company,” he said.
Gowda was once Siddaramaiah’s political guru. However, Siddaramaiah was expelled from the JD(S) in 2005 for “anti-party activities”. Siddaramaiah joined Congress in 2006.
“I sincerely wish that the JD(S) does not come to an end. Likewise, I hope Deve Gowda remains active in politics for a longer time. However, I wish that both JD(S) and their new ally BJP remain in the opposition permanently. Our Congress party will continuously strive to fulfill this wish,” Siddaramaiah said.
Siddaramaiah said the JD(S) has ‘agreed’ with his claim that the regional party was the ‘B’ team of the BJP.
“This stance of JD(S) has prevented some secular voters from being misled by the secular facade of the party. It has turned the upcoming election into a direct confrontation between secular and communal forces. I am confident that the voters of Karnataka, who have a tradition of secularism and harmony, will make the right choice in the next elections,” he said.