Congress General Secretary Randeep Singh Surjewala criticized the BJP and JD(S) leadership for denying former Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda a Rajya Sabha nomination. Surjewala expressed astonishment at the political move, calling it a humiliation of Deve Gowda.
Surjewala highlighted the BJP’s choice of M. Nagaraja, the state Vice President in charge of District Building Construction, over Deve Gowda for the nomination. He also criticized the JD(S) leadership for accepting such treatment, emphasizing the political compromise made to retain ministerial positions.
Recalling past events, Surjewala mentioned Deve Gowda’s loss to BJP’s G.S. Basavaraju in the 2019 general elections. Despite political differences, Congress and Sonia Gandhi supported Deve Gowda’s Rajya Sabha election, respecting his status as a former Prime Minister from Karnataka.
Surjewala pointed out Deve Gowda’s strong opposition to the BJP and his disapproval of Kumaraswamy joining hands with the BJP. He highlighted the JD(S)-BJP alliance in October 2023, which led to Kumaraswamy becoming a Union Minister handling the Heavy Industries portfolio.
