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Told CM Bommai he won’t face any trouble because of me: Deve Gowda
Bommai, who replaced Yediyurappa as chief minister last month, was earlier with the JD(S) before he jumped to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) around 13 years ago
Janata Dal (Secular) chief HD Deve Gowda on Thursday said the newly sworn-in chief minister of Karnataka, Basavaraj Bommai, will not face any difficulties because of him.
“Basavaraj Bommai came, asked for blessings from me and my wife. I told him that you would not face any problems because of me,” Gowda said on Thursday.
Bommai, who replaced Yediyurappa as chief minister last month, was earlier with the JD(S) before he jumped to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) around 13 years ago.
Bommai’s meeting with Deve Gowda sparked a controversy within a section of the BJP which accused the CM of sending out the wrong message to party workers ahead of the zilla and taluka panchayat elections.
Gowda has been central to Karnataka’s politics for almost half a century now and enjoys a cordial relationship with Yediyurappa and Siddaramaiah, among other leaders in the state. The three have allied together and separately on various occasions for mutual benefit, both individually and at the party level.
“Keep Yediyurappa with you when you run the government, comply with the (BJP) high command as well and all will be well,” Gowda said.
The statements added to the possibility that the old-guard of Karnataka politics (Gowda, Siddaramaiah and Yediyurappa) were sticking to each other to retain control over the state rather than let Delhi (high command of both national parties) dictate terms.
The JD(S) has also allied with the BJP and the Congress in the past, playing kingmaker on more than one occasion where the state delivered a fractured verdict.
CP Yogeshwara, the former minister and BJP MLC alleged that in Yediyurappa’s government, Karnataka had a “three-party coalition”, inferring that there was a tacit arrangement between then chief minister, JD(S) and the Congress.
And Bommai’s meeting with Gowda has stoked the same emotions in a few legislators.Especially Preetham Gowda, the lone BJP MLA from Hassan district, known as the bastion of the JD(S) which Gowda has represented in the past.
Preetham, a first-time BJP MLA, has lashed out at Bommai for meeting Gowda and the latter hit back, almost triggering a war of words within the party.
“I maintain my statement that party workers had in their mind whether it was necessary to meet Gowda within 24 hours of becoming the chief minister,” Preetham said on Wednesday. He added that the chief minister has since called him and explained the reasons for meeting Gowda.
Preetham could not be reached for a comment on Dowda’s statement.
