Minister for Housing and Wakf Zameer Ahmed Khan has said that former Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda agreed to the JD(S) party’s alliance with the BJP only because of his son and former Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy.
In a press conference at Arsikere in Hassan district on Tuesday, Mr. Khan said that Mr. Deve Gowda was a secular person and that he would never want an alliance with the BJP.
“Mr. Deve Gowda has not accepted this alliance wholeheartedly. Only because of his son’s pressure on him, has he agreed to this alliance. He is a true secular person, and he has always shown concern for minorities,” he said.
The Minister said that the JD(S) party’s alliance with the BJP would benefit the Congress. “Now the only secular party in Karnataka is the Congress. Earlier, the JD(S) was also a secular party, and because of that, the Congress lost some votes. However, from now on, the Congress will get the benefit of the alliance between those two parties”, he said.
Further, Mr. Zameer Ahmed Khan said many leaders in other parties were eager to join the Congress. Several people with a secular mindset had been in contact with him.
“Leaders from Mysuru, Channapatna, Kolar, Chickballapur, and Hassan districts are willing to join the Congress. We will hold a programme at the Palace Grounds in Bengaluru to invite them all,” he said.
The Minister was on a visit to Arsikere to inaugurate the Moulana Azad Model School and hold a public grievances’ meeting.
Arsikere MLA K.M. Shivalinge Gowda and others were present at the press conference.
