Former Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda, a JD(S) Rajya Sabha member, reacted to AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge’s comments in Parliament about their party’s alliance, calling his past association with the Congress a “forced marriage” that ended in a “divorce.” Deve Gowda clarified that he was not present in Parliament when Kharge made the remarks as he had left for Ugadi celebrations in Bengaluru.
Deve Gowda humorously responded to Kharge’s comments, stating that his alliance with the Congress was not by choice. He mentioned that during the political events of 2018 in Karnataka, the Congress had approached JD(S) after the Assembly elections, proposing H.D. Kumaraswamy as Chief Minister, despite his preference for Mallikarjun Kharge for the role.
Reflecting on the collapse of the coalition government in 2019, Deve Gowda accused the Congress of failing to prevent its MLAs from defecting to the BJP. He highlighted that if the Congress leadership had taken action against those responsible for the defections, Kharge would have a stronger position as AICC president today. Deve Gowda emphasized that the JD(S) did not initiate the separation from the Congress alliance, indicating that the Congress walked away, leading him to seek a more stable partnership.
