Bangalore: 'I made Ramakrishna Hegde Chief Minister' - Deve Gowda

Newindpress

Bangalore, Nov 30: Even as the BJP is trying to whip up sympathy by playing the ‘Veerashaivas conned’ card, JD(S) supremo HD Deve Gowda and his son, former chief minister HD Kumaraswamy, on Thursday came down heavily against caste and mutt politics in the State.

Doing one better than the father, Kumaraswamy even declared that he would put an end to caste-based politics and was ready to take political sanyas if he failed to achieve it.

Launching a scathing attack against BJP and the JD(S) rebel faction headed by MP Prakash at the JD(S) workers’ convention, Gowda said, "I am being portrayed as an anti-Brahmin and anti-Lingayat leader. But these people forget that it was I who made Ramakrishna Hegde the chief minister. I tried my best to make Rajashekara Murthy the chief minister two years ago."

The Veerashaiva Mahasabha had been organising protests against JD(S). Seers of several mutts and some vested interests too had lent their support to this agitation. "Caste and mutt politics will destroy the State. Development will suffer," Gowda warned.

Continuing from where Gowda left off, Kumaraswamy said, "I have been labelled as anti-Lingayat. Social harmony is being disturbed to meet selfish political ends. There are crores of Lingayats struggling for two square meals a day. I am concerned about them. Our pro-poor programmes never discriminated on caste or religious lines. I will show how to win electoral battles without playing the caste card. I am ready to retire from politics if I fail in my endeavour. I am not afraid of challenges and will lead the party to victory on its own strength."