‘My son has cleansed himself of past BJP taint’: HD Deve Gowda

BENGALURU: “More than happy, I’m relieved that we could form a government that has secular credentials,” said former Prime Minister and JD(S) supremo HD Deve Gowda in an interview to TOI. minutes after BJP’s BS Yeddyurappa threw in the towel.
Gowda who had famously declared he would disown his son if he joined hands with the BJP is a much-relieved man today, and said, “Thankfully, that situation (of disowning HDK) never arose.I had made the statement to highlight how a relationship with the BJP could seriously dent the party’s image.”
When he was informed in the afternoon about the BJP’s plan to give up the fight before the trust vote, he is said to have thundered: “They should have known who they are playing against.”
The politician who turned 85 on Friday said the party’s next destination is the 2019 Lok Sabha election.
When he was informed in the afternoon about BJP’s plan to give up the fight before the vote count, he thundered: “They should have known who they were playing against.” As his son gets ready to become CM, JD(S) supremo HD Deve Gowda says this is only the beginning. The veteran politician, who turned 85 on Friday, expressed happiness that his son did not tie up with BJP. From what this coalition means for national politics to who the real ‘Chanakya’ is, Gowda spoke at length with TOI. Excerpts:
You must be a happy man today
More than happy, I am relieved that we were able to form a government that has secular credentials.
You had said that you would gift a new government to the people on your birthday…
The gift would’ve been much better if we had scored more numbers. Still, the satisfaction is that we were able to stop communal forces from surging ahead. This is especially important in a state like Karnataka. And that it was done with the help of a regional party like ours is the icing on the cake.
You wanted to form a government on your own but have become a junior alliance partner
We had honestly not expected to get majority. It’s true that I’d said that we would prefer to sit in the opposition if we don’t get to form the government, however, the context was different. Today, the emergent situation demanded that secular parties came together and I am happy that Congress acted swiftly and came forward to provide unconditional support.
Your son’s 2008 coalition with BJP had angered you?
Yes, it had. While the 2008 coalition had tainted my son (Kumaraswamy), he has now managed to cleanse himself. He was aware of how hurt I was with the arrangement in 2008 and was very conscious this time not to repeat his mistakes.
There are apprehensions about the stability of the JD(S)-Congress coalition government
I know this question arises from the experiences of 2004-2006, when the two parties did not complete a full term in office, but both Congress and we have learnt from that experience. I am confident that the present arrangement will govern the state for five full years. Kumaraswamy has the ability to take everybody along.
How key is this coalition for your role in national politics ahead of the 2019 general elections?
Our next destination in 2019. The need of the hour is for secular parties to come together and Karnataka has not just shown the way but has gone a step ahead in that direction by forming a government.
Your comments on methods employed by BJP to form a government without enough numbers?
The BJP’s methods were not just wrong, but were also in sharp contradiction to the party’s stand and claims in other states like Goa where it had contended that just emerging as the single largest party is not enough to form a government. The BJP had then said that if the combined strength of parties was more than that of the single largest party the combination must be allowed to form the government, and they even did that.
Your comments on Congress’ quick post poll actions?
Not just after the results, the Congress high command had been preparing for all scenarios and the party’s senior leader Ghulam Nabi Azad arrived in Bengaluru a day before the results on May 15. They were in touch with me for a few days and their quick response on May 15, stemming from backroom discussions with JD(S), effectively managed to stump BJP’s immediate plans. The saffron party has since been on the backfoot.
While Amit Shah is considered ‘Chanakya’, your supporters say you are the ‘real Chanakya’...
Let anybody be anything. I am HD Deve Gowda!