The war of words between the Congress and the Janata Dal (Secular) leaders after the outbursts of former Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda over the end of the Congress continued on January 7. The JD(S) accused Chief Minister Siddaramaiah of being “arrogant” for stating that he would consider the curse of Mr. Gowda as a blessing.
“Mr. Gowda has never cursed anyone. He has been blessing all always. Have you forgotten the blessing that you [Mr. Siddaramaiah] received from him after you lost to Guruswamy [in 1999],” the JD(S) said in a statement, adding “If Mr. Gowda had not blessed and come to your rescue, could you grow so much in politics?”
Stating that the JD(S) has tied up with the BJP to bring to an end the era of the Congress in the State, Mr. Gowda had attacked Mr. Siddaramaiah and Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar on Jan. 5. In response, Mr. Siddaramaiah had said that the seniors should not curse, but bless, juniors. “He (Mr. Gowda) must be speaking in desperation as he had to compromise his secular credentials that he claimed to have throughout his career by aligning with BJP. No one should seek the destruction of another political party. The BJP wanted to have a Congress-free India and Mr. Gowda seems to be influenced by that. I wish a long life for both Mr. Gowda and JD(S). If he realises his mistake, he can take back his words,” the Chief Minister had said.
Enjoy your twilight years: JD(S)
On Sunday, the regional party accused the Chief Minister of being arrogant and had spoken light of Mr. Gowda. “What Mr. Gowda spoke was not any figment of imagination, but a fact. The Congress under the leadership of Mr. Siddaramaiah and Mr. Shivakumar will come to an end. The Congress that wants to end democracy by dividing society is gasping for breath.”
Hitting back at the Chief Minister, the JD(S) said that it hoped that the political twilight years of Mr. Siddaramaiah should be happy, and that he should not indulge in anything that could hurt him. “The mask of secularism will come out if one goes into the depths of the Chief Minister’s office. You [Mr. Siddaramaiah] would not have grown so much if Mr. Gowda had not followed principles of secularism and social justice, “ it said. The party also accused the Chief Minister of trying to break the JD(S). “What Mr. Gowda had asked was to take over excess land in Bangalore Mysore Infrastructure Corridor project. What is stopping you from doing that ? You are digressing from the point.”
