I am not a fan of Modi, says Deve Gowda

Bengaluru: Former Prime Minister and Janata Dal (S) patriarch H.D. Deve Gowda on Saturday defended his decision to participate in Swachha Bharat campaign launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on October 2.

Speaking to media persons here, he said: “Mr. Modi has launched this campaign with a good intention. Since he himself said that there is no politics involved, it was my duty to support the campaign. He has proved that a Prime Minister can do little things too.”

Mr. Gowda, however, clarified that he was not a supporter of Mr. Modi. “For example, I opposed Doordarshan’s live coverage of RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat’s speech from Nagpur,” he added.

Commenting on conviction of former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa by a special court here on September 27, Mr. Gowda felt that the case ought to be transferred back to Tamil Nadu. “There is a threat to law and order in Karnataka. There need not be any confusion. The case was transferred to Karnataka to ensure a free and fair trial. Now that it is over, there is no need to retain the case here,” he added.

Before speaking to media persons, Mr. Gowda discussed the issue of constitution of a core committee with his son and former chief minister H.D. Kumaraswamy. Both reportedly agreed that it should be done immediately. “By October 15 or 16, we will announce a core comprising 10-11 members,” he added.