Will not die till I make you ministers: Deve Gowda

Davangere: These may be troubled times for the Janata Dal (S) but party supremo and former Prime minister, H.D. Deve Gowda  appeared confident on Wednesday that it would emerge stronger for them.

“I will not die until JD(S) workers become ministers,” he vowed.

Speaking to reporters here enroute to Rajanahalli to receive the Valmiki award, he said he was working hard to organise the party and would not let it die until he was alive.

“The day will come when party leaders will realize how true my words were. Some of those who were in the JD(S)  are now ministers in the ruling party and some former JD(S) leaders are in the  BJP too. In future those who are in the JD(S)  will themselves become ministers,”  he asserted.

Revealing that he planned to tour  124 constituencies in the state to organize the party , he said he would not interfere with the work of  leaders who were loyal and honest to it, but only share his political experience to strengthen it.   As for a  new  state JD(S) president, he said a decision would be taken after discussion with party leaders.

The JD(S) has been wracked by internal dissent in recent months with a section of legislators protesting against attempts of the Deve Gowda family to establish their hegemony over the party.  There have also been reports of the growing differences between former chief minister and senior JD(S) leader H.D. Kumaraswamy and Chamarajpet MLA Mr Zameer Ahamed Khan. The party has 40 MLAs in the assembly

Mr. Deve Gowda also wondered why former Chief Minister, J Jayalalithaa was being lodged in a Karnataka prison.

“A special court was established in the state to try the  case against her on the orders of the Supreme Court, but now that the  trial has been completed, why should we keep her in the state?” he asked, suggesting that  she should be shifted to Tamil Nadu for the sake of peace in the state.