While stating that there was no need to build a narrative around former Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy sporting a saffron shawl, Janata Dal (Secular) supremo and former Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda said on Friday that he would be using his own party’s colours if he is invited to share the platform with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
‘Cannot fight’
“The JD(S) and the BJP is working together for the Lok Sabha elections with a seat-sharing arrangements to fight against the Congress. In such a scenario, if someone puts a saffron shawl on Mr. Kumaraswamy, he cannot fight there, and there is no need to discuss much about it,” Mr. Gowda told presspersons in Delhi.
The Congress had attacked Mr. Kumaraswamy for wearing the saffron shawl during a recent protest at Keragodu village in Mandya district that witnessed tension over the flag issue. KPCC president D.K. Shivakumar had said that it appeared like the JD(S) could merge with the BJP. However, Mr. Kumaraswamy later not only defended the saffron shawl, but questioned what was wrong with the colour. He had also warned the alliance partner BJP that they could not expect his support for anything illegal.
On Friday, when asked about the saffron shawl incident, Mr. Gowda said: “In normal course, he should have worn our party’s shawl. Normally, he should not wear (saffron shawl in future)... But there is no need to set a narrative that the JD(S) has merged with the BJP.” He further said: “What is wrong in wearing our own (green shawl) when we go together with them?”
However, the former Prime Minister made his stand clear: “When I am invited to share the platform with Mr. Modi, I will go and speak. But they will use their banner and we will use ours.”
He refused to comment on Bengaluru Rural MP D.K. Suresh’s comments on Thursday that a time could come when southern States could seek a separate country as tax collected in the south was going to northern States. “He is a Congress leader and may have expressed his personal opinion. I do not know the context in which he has spoken. I was not there,” he said.
