‘Who in INDIA bloc can lead the country? Only Modi can shoulder task of PM for third term’

‘Vijayan recently referred to remarks calling Rahul Gandhi still an Amul Baby,’ says JD(S) supremo and ex-pm

ON FRIDAY evening, soon after holding a poll meeting in Malur for the Janata Dal (Secular) candidateinkolar–oneofthethreelok Sabha seats the party is contesting in Karnataka in an alliance with the BJP – party supremo and former Prime Minister H DD eve Gowda ,91, headed to the house of BJP dissident Hoodi Vijay Kumar to seek his support.

For the first time since 1999, Deve Gowda himself is not a Lok Sabha candidate, but he has been on the road almost every day, campaigning for nd a candidates.

The former PM has undertaken campaigning in south Karnataka, where the JD(S) has a large support base. While he cannot walk without assistance due to his age, Deve Gowda remains sharp and lucid in his speeches.

On saturday, he sat down with The indian express for an interview at his home in Bengaluru before heading for a rally with PM Narendra Modi. Excerpts:

Is there a plan on how many seats you will campaign in?

I have the task of ensuring the victory of the NDA in the 28 Lok Sabha seats in Karnataka... The first time I discussed the alliance was with Union Home Minister Amit Shah. I did not ask about the number of seats they will give us. We did not discuss the number of times they would come and where they would campaign.

How is the JD(S)-BJP alliance working out on the ground?

There are no problems... This combination is not only for the Lok Sabha polls but will continue for the Assembly elections too.

Is this alliance better than the Congress tie-up in 2019?

We have seen the Congress. How many times must we experiment? The JD(S) is fighting in three seats and the BJP in 25. In 2019, the JD(S) was in a ruling alliance with the Congress in the state and fought seven seats but won only one, while the congress contested 21 seats and also won only one. The BJP won 25 seats.

You say at your rallies PM

Modi is the only person capable of leading India...

Tell me, who is there in the INDIA grouping who is capable of leading the country. If there is a person who can shoulder the responsibility in INDIA, then there is no need to discuss. Today there is nooneot hertha nmodi.i am 91.

I have not seen any other leader who can shoulder the responsibility as PM for the third term.

Many people feel the alliance with the BJP will cost the JD(S) its space in Karnataka.

Who feels that? It is the Congress leaders in Karnataka, that too (Chief Minister) Sid dar a mai a hand( deputy cm)d K Shivakumar. They are looting the state to support the Congress in elections. in the te lang ana elections, all the contractors working in Karnataka were dumped in Telangana. They spent all their resources and they won.

Rahul Gandhi says there is no Modi wave and the BJP will not get more than 150 seats.

I do not want to comment on it .( rahul said at thekol ar rally that th end a government is spreading inequality in the country and Congress guarantees would create fairness in society). You have seen the statement of Pinarayi Vijayan on Rahul Gandhi. He referred to (CPM veteran V S) Achuthanandan’s remarks saying Rahul is still an ‘Amul Baby’...

Is the battle in Karnataka between Congress schemes and the leadership of PM Modi and Deve Gowda?

The Congress guarantees did not work in Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh or Madhya Pradesh. It is after Kumaraswamy’s Pancharathna programme (proposed ahead of the 2023 Assembly polls) that the congress adopted these guarantees. just before the elections, they promised their guarantees. people immediately thought the Congress has given a good programme. Now they have announced 28 guarantees. Will they come to power (at the Centre)? They were unable to get recognition of Leader of the Opposition in the last two elections. People are not fools.

One of the key concerns is the failure of national parties to raise issues concerning the state. Will the JD(S) be able to address it as an NDA partner?

Yes. I am not going to talk to Modi right now on a public platform. He knows about the drinking water problem in Bangalore... I have discussed this with the Jal Shakti Minister.

Stalin (Tamil Nadu CM and DMK chief) says in his manifesto he will not allow the Mekedatu project (to provide drinking water from the Cauvery river to Bengaluru) or supply of water from Cauvery. Manmohan Singh (ex-pm) survived for 10 years in power only because of the DMK.

Now mo di himself has already entered Tamil Nadu in some areas. There have been two to three mammoth rallies. This time the BJP will enter the Tamil Nadu Assembly, and even in parliament, there is a possibility of it winning one or two seats.

What were the circumstances when you became PM in 1996?

I was the PM elected by 13 parties. After the (Atal Bihari) Vajypayee government was defeated after 13 days, the CMS of all the parties of the United Front held a meeting. Narasimha Rao, after discussions in their (Congress) Working Committee decided they could not form the government. They said if all other parties other than the BJP join hands, they will support from the outside.

The Communist Party Marxists decided we could form the government. we met and proposed to make VP Sing ht he PM. They later communicated he would not agree. after that we decided to make Jyoti Basu the PM, and he agreed. the young turks( of the CPM) did not agree. He came back and proposed my name. I was hesitant. They said we would have to tell the media there is no one among us who can stand up to Vajpayee. I said this should not be said. I agreed to the proposal.

Express Despite his age, Deve Gowda has been campaigning almost daily for NDA candidates in Karnataka.