Bengaluru: Former Prime Minister and JD(S) national president H.D. Deve Gowda unleashed a blistering attack on Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, accusing him of distorting political history and denying the contributions JD(S) made to his rise in state politics.
Speaking at the JD(S) Belihabba event, Gowda reacted sharply to Siddaramaiah’s recent statement in Chamarajanagar that he would never have become Chief Minister had he remained in JD(S).
Gowda countered the claim, saying:
“I was ready to make Siddaramaiah the Chief Minister. But Sonia Gandhi insisted on Dharam Singh. I visited her house three times asking her to make Siddaramaiah the CM—just like the Congress made Ghulam Nabi Azad the CM in Kashmir while Mufti Mohammed Sayeed became Deputy CM. Let Siddaramaiah ask Sonia Gandhi himself; she is alive.”
Gowda accused Siddaramaiah of twisting facts and speaking irresponsibly:
“Siddaramaiah does not tell the truth. Sonia Gandhi and Ahmed Patel knew everything. She never agreed to make him CM. Congress forced us to accept him as a candidate, or they threatened to face elections. We compromised without any option.”
‘I Made You Finance Minister — Not Oxford Degree, Not Supreme Court’
In a direct and personal attack, Gowda questioned Siddaramaiah’s qualifications:
“Ramkrishna Hegde was CM for eight years — did he make you Finance Minister? Neither Hegde nor Bommai gave you that post. I did. Are you an Oxford graduate? A Supreme Court lawyer? A High Court lawyer? You argued a few cases in Mysuru — that’s all.”
Gowda said it was his own mistake to elevate Siddaramaiah:
“When Veerappa Moily was CM, the state had no money to pay salaries. They borrowed ₹200 crore from Peerless. After that crisis, I made Siddaramaiah Finance Minister to fix the economy. Today I regret that decision.”
He went further, recalling emotional moments:
“Many times I cried after making him Deputy Chief Minister. I appointed him because I believed in him. But he has forgotten everything.”
What contribution did Siddaramaiah make to JD(S)?’
Gowda claimed Siddaramaiah never helped strengthen JD(S):
“When I wanted to appoint him as state president, even Ramakrishna Hegde held my hand and said: ‘Make anyone else, but not him.’ Still, I ignored that advice.”
Accusations of Hypocrisy and Opportunism
Gowda also alleged that Siddaramaiah failed the social justice principles he claims to champion:
“He says he grew because of Jalappa, but I granted the medical college in Devaraj Urs’s name. Today that college has become the personal property of Jalappa’s family. This is his social justice?”
Gowda criticised Siddaramaiah’s AHINDA movement too:
“I told him to hold the AHINDA convention on the party platform. Instead, he held it separately in Hubballi. I had no choice but to expel him from the party. I have no regrets. Many people have come and gone. I will rebuild JD(S). I am not someone who sits idle.”
JD(U) in the North, JD(S) in the South — Deve Gowda Draws Parallels
Gowda reiterated his political alignment with Bihar CM Nitish Kumar:
“In the North, it is JD(U); in the South, it is JD(S). There it is Nitish Kumar; here it is Kumaraswamy.”
He praised Nitish Kumar’s political acumen:
“He has been in politics for 30 years and has taken oath 10 times. He has navigated politics very sensitively. We must learn from that approach.”
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