Former Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda has said the Congress defeated B.R. Ambedkar in the Lok Sabha elections, and finally, an upset Ambedkar accepted Buddhism.
Addressing a meeting of representatives from the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes in Hassan on Tuesday, the former PM said that they (Congress) take the name of Ambedkar often, but are “responsible for his defeat in the Lok Sabha election.” “Finally, an upset Ambedkar accepted Buddhism,” claimed Mr. Gowda.
Kharge as PM?
The Congress, Mr. Deve Gowda said, did not allow Sanjeevaiah, a Dalit leader, to continue as Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh for long. Further, he questioned, would the Congress make AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge the Prime Minister of India. “If they had intended to make him the PM, he would have been fielded in Kalaburagi. What does it show?” he wondered.
The former PM reiterated that he had suggested Mr. Kharge’s name for the CM’s post in 2018. “I discussed this with then AICC leader Gulam Nabi Azad for more than an hour. Instead of my son, I told them to make Mr. Kharge CM of Karnataka. But they were adamant,” he said. He also wanted to know who removed his son (H.D. Kumaraswamy) from the CM’s post. “Why was he removed? Who sent 18 MLAs to Mumbai?” he asked.
Rahul Gandhi in Kerala
Commenting on the Congress’ strength in Uttar Pradesh, Mr. Deve Gowda said Rahul Gandhi had chosen to contest from Kerala. His mother, Sonia Gandhi, had gone to Rajya Sabha. “Both are not contesting in Uttar Pradesh. This is the plight of the Congress in the country,” he commented.
He sought the support of the people of Hassan for his grandson Prajwal Revanna, contesting as JD(S) candidate for Hassan seat. Former Minister H.D. Revanna, H.K. Kumaraswamy, former MLA K.S. Lingesh, MLA C.N. Balakrishna and others were present.
