From Our Special Correspondent
Daijiworld Media Network - Bangalore

Bangalore, Mar 28: Taking the bull by the horns is something that former Prime Minister and JD(S) supremo H D Deve Gowda is familiar with. While it is common knowledge that Gowda is the uncrowned king of the Vokkaliga community to which he belongs, it is no secret that Congress party’s Energy Minister D K Shiva Kumar is perhaps the most prominent and energetic challenger from the community, especially in the Old Mysore region.
 
With both Gowda and Shivakumar or DKS as he popularly known by his initials keen on gaining supremacy in the Lok Sabha constituencies of Vokkaliga dominated regions of Bangalore, Ramanagara, Mandya and Hassan, the JD(S) national president has decided take his bête noir head on by demanding a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into the alleged corrupt deals.
 
It may be recalled that Samaj Parivartana Samudaya founder S R Hiremath was the first mount a campaign for the ouster of DKS from the Siddaramaiah cabinet and also demand CBI probe into the alleged mining and other scams involving the Congress leader.
 
Hiremath had also been targeting Congress minister Roshan Baig and senior party leader Ramesh Kumar after the success of his campaign for the removal of Santhosh Lad from the Cabinet.

Gowda, who addressed the press in Bangalore on Friday, however, said both the CBI and the Enforcement Directorate were directly controlled by political parties in power at the Centre and one cannot expect justice till they "come out of the clutches" of the ruling parties.

Stating that his family was not running away from Ramanagaram (where Shivakumar has a big following), Gowda said the constituency had given him political rebirth.

''I would tour each of the taluk in Ramanagaram district to campaign for the party candidate,” he asserted.

Deve Gowda said he will not minimise the importance of Aam Aadmi Party in the upcoming Lok Sabha polls.

"I’m not going to minimise the importance of Aam Aadmi Party, whether they are going to win 10 or 5 seats or bag 20 seats," Gowda said answering questions on CPM leader Sitaram Yechury’s comments on Arvind Kejriwal’s AAP joining the third front.

The AAP has come up with young leaders and committed persons, who want to fight against corruption in the Parliament, their voice cannot be silenced,” he said.

The former Prime Minister said no government can suppress the voice of those fighting against corruption, which is a cancer against the country.

''Corruption is a major issue, if you even take a unanimous decision to throw them out of the house— the people outside, specially youngsters will come together to fight it out,” he said.

Yechury, had on Wednesday, said it was up to AAP to decide whether it would join the Left and other secular forces but it could be decided only after the elections.

Speaking about BJP and Congress, Gowda said: ''As far as Karnataka is concerned, BJP leaders have come to the conclusion that only Narendra Modi’s charm will bring them about 23 seats; on the other side, Chief Minister is also claiming that he will not allow even a single seat for JD(S)."

''The people of this country, including the state of Karnataka, are watching all these. They have political maturity. They will give their verdict. Please wait till May 16 until counting is over to see what will happen,” he said.

He, however, was very confident of JD(S) doing much better than even in 2009 and will cause some upset results in a couple of constituencies.

 ''Just wait and watch. I know the mood and pulse of the people,” he added.