GTD alleges ill-treatment from HDK

A day after JD(S) suffered a defeat in its stronghold of Channapatna in the recently-held byelections to the Legislative Assembly, former Minister and senior JD(S) leader G.T. Deve Gowda hit out at Union Minister for Heavy Industries and Steel H.D Kumaraswamy for allegedly ill-treating him.

Speaking to private television channels in Mysuru on Sunday, Mr. Gowda, also the chief of the JD(S) core committee, claimed that Mr. Kumaraswamy had heaped insults on him despite his contribution to the party. Though the Union Minister had tried to remove him from the party, several times in the past, the party’s national president H.D. Deve Gowda had retained him.

Congress

When asked about the speculation over his entry into the Congress, Mr. Gowda said he had not spoken to any Congress leaders nor had they contacted him. However, his supporters in Chamundeshwari Assembly constituency will decide if has to join the Congress or not.

Mr. Gowda said his supporters in the constituency were offended by the manner in which the party leadership was treating him.

For the first time, Mr. Gowda admitted that he was upset with the party for not appointing him as the party’s floor leader in the Legislative Assembly.

After touring the State as the party’s core committee chief and mobilising the cadres, Mr. Gowda said he was hoping to become the party’s floor leader in the Assembly, leaving the post of core committee chief to whomever among Suresh Babu or Bandeppa Kashempur that Mr. Kumaraswamy chooses.

After Mr. Suresh Babu was appointed as the party’s floor leader in the Assembly, former Minister S.R. Mahesh declared at a meeting that he was instrumental in helping Mr. Babu bag the coveted post with the blessing of Mr. H.D. Deve Gowda and Mr. Kumaraswamy. Though he had sought the support of party MLAs for the post, Mr. Gowda said he did not know that he had to ask for the support of even Mr. Mahesh, who had lost the Assembly elections.

Channapatna

Mr. Gowda, who had claimed on Saturday that he was not invited by the party leadership to campaign in Channapatna for the bypolls to the Assembly, said he had advised Mr. Kumaraswamy to keep former Minister C.P. Yogeshwar on his side.

Claiming that it was he who brought Mr. Yogeshwar and Mr. Kumaraswamy to speak to each other, Mr. Gowda said Mr. Yogeshwar after campaigning for C.N. Manjunath in the last Lok Sabha elections was aspiring to represent Channapatna in the Assembly whenever it was vacated by Mr. Kumaraswamy.

“If he was unable to help Nikhil Kumaraswamy win from Channapatna, why did he field him?” questioned Mr. Gowda.

Mr. Gowda also said that Mr. Kumaraswamy does not take suggestions from any party leader or office bearers. All the decisions are finalised within the family and Mr. H.D. Deve Gowda endorses whatever decision Mr. Kumaraswamy takes, he lamented .