Tumkur: Playing down dissidence in his party, JD (S) patriarch H. D. Deve Gowda on Monday vowed that he would strengthen the party and never allow it to disintegrate as is being speculated. Speaking to media persons here, the former PM said dissent was common in all political parties but he would seek remedies for problems plaguing his party. A new president would be chosen for the state unit after consulting all MLAs and MLCs of the party. “I am still alive to rebuild JD (S),” he said adding that the party was built on strong principles such as secularism, social justice and to protect the interests Karnataka. When asked about the poor performance of his party in recent Lok Sabha polls, Mr. Deve Gowda said even a national party like the Congress could not win many seats across the country. He, however, attributed the landslide victory of BJP to “hard work” of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
