Kumaraswamy added that he was hurt by BJP's move to pick former Hassan MLA Preetham Gowda to lead the protest, among others.
Published Jul 31, 2024 | 2:47 PM ⚊ Updated Jul 31, 2024 | 3:21 PM
Union Minister HD Kumaraswamy. (X)
In a public display of the rift between NDA partners BJP and JD(S), Union Minister HD Kumaraswamy has denied support for a move that was supposed to put the Congress in a spot.
Kumaraswamy, also the JD(S) state president, said on Wednesday, 31 July, that the regional party would not be participating in the BJP’s padayatra against the alleged corruption in the Mysuru Urban Development Authority from 3 August to 10 August.
Kumaraswamy said that his party was not taken into confidence and lashed out at the BJP for allegedly picking a leader of the saffron party from the Hassan district to be among those given the responsibility to spearhead the protest.
“Who is that Preetham Gowda? Preetham Gowda ventured to finish off the family of Deve Gowda. They (BJP) call a meeting with him (Preetham Gowda to discuss preparations for the march) and ask me to sit next to him…the person who put poison to my family… Who is responsible for the distribution of pen drives? There is a limit to my tolerance,” an angry Kumaraswamy told the media.
It is alleged that Preetham Gowda was behind leaking the obscene videos allegedly involving Kumaraswamy’s nephew and former Hassan MP Prajwal Revanna. Pen drives containing the videos were distributed across Hassan ahead of the Lok Sabha elections and cases of sexual assault were charged against Prajwal.
Kumaraswamy added that he was hurt by BJP’s move to pick former Hassan MLA Preetham Gowda to lead the protest, among others.
“Are they seeking support for this? Do they not know what happened in Hassan? Who is responsible?” Kumaraswamy thundered.
The padayatra is being held against alleged irregularities in the distribution of sites by MUDA, including to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s wife.
Furthermore, the Union Minister said that no “moral support” will be given to the BJP vis-a-vis the foot march. “We will not give (moral support) for any reason”, adding that his party was not taken into confidence by the BJP despite the fact that areas, where the foot march was slated to pass through, are JD(S) strongholds.
His party, the JD(S), headed by former prime minister HD Deve Gowda, had joined the BJP-led NDA last year. The two parties fought the recent Lok Sabha elections in the state together.
He argued that when people are facing several problems following heavy rains, with many becoming homeless and hundreds of villages marooned, it’s not an “appropriate time” to hold such a foot march. “So, we have stepped back.”
“Now, we have to respond to people’s pain. I don’t know who would appreciate (the foot march in these circumstances),” he said.
On Tuesday, party leader GT Devegowda after attending the JD(S) Core Committee meeting in Bengaluru had said that there was a necessity to temporarily defer the seven-day padayatra and wait for the rains to subside.
(Edited by Muhammed Fazil)
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