Bengaluru: “(Former Prime Minister) H.D. Devegowda your time is over,” stated Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Thursday while he made a scathing attack on the former Prime Minister at his home turf, Hassan. Devegowda had represented Holenarsipura Assembly seat in Hassan and later represented Hassan in Lok Sabha.
Addressing “Janakalyana” convention in Hassan, Siddaramaiah appealed to Devegowda not to indulge in revenge politics to ruin the political career of leaders and wished the former Prime Minister good health. “You engage in politics till your last breath but do not take to politics of vengeance,” suggested Siddaramaiah, once a close confidante of Devegowda.
Taking a dig at Devegowda, Siddaramaiah said Devegowda’s party does not have moral right to retain Secular word in his party name since he has allied with “communal” Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
He charged Devegowda, a Rajya Sabha member from Karnataka, of not raising his voice over the “injustice” to the State in reduction in agricultural credit loan from NABARD, also in Centrally sponsored schemes among others.
Continuing his attack on Devegowda, Siddaramaiah said Devegowda does not like to groom leaders not even from Vokkaliga to which the former Prime Minister belongs. Referring to Vokkaliga leaders, the Chief Minister accused Devegowda of snubbing leaders such as Chandregowda, Puttaswamy Gowda, Bachegowda, H.D. Krishnappa, Nagegowda, Y.K. Ramaiah, B. L. Shankar among others.
Without the reference to Devegowda’s grandson Prajwal Revanna behind bars over charges of sexual exploitation of women, Siddaramaiah recalled a statement by one of the Vokkaliga leaders H.D. Krishnappa of Krishnaraja Pete in 2010 who had then stated that Devegowda would go through “disastrous” time in his ripe age. Devegowda is now 92.
“I was expelled from Janata Dal Secular (JDS) in 2006 over a convention of minorities, backward class and dalits in Hubballi by Devegowda,” recalled Siddaramaiah and claimed his role along with former minister R.L. Jalappa in making H.D. Devegowda as the Chief Minister in 1994.
Exuding confidence, Siddaramaiah said his Congress party would retain power in Karnataka in 2028 Assembly elections and Congress party would win in all 7 Assembly seats of Hassan from winning a lone seat in 2023 election. He termed the 'Janakalyana' convention a new chapter in the history of Hassan.
The Chief Minister assured the people of the State that 5-guarantees implemented in Karnataka such as free travel for women in State run buses, up to 200 units of free power to a family, Rs 2,000 monthly cash benefit for a female head of a family among two others will continue till May, 2028. The 5-guarantees will continue with the retention of power by the Congress party in 2028 elections.
