“The alliance with the BJP will not weaken the Janata Dal(S). On the contrary, it will strengthen our party,” the former Minister G.T. Deve Gowda said in Belagavi on Friday.
“Janata Dal(S) is not a party restricted just to South Karnataka. It is a regional party with great potential. The alliance with a national party will further strengthen us,” he said.
He was addressing a party rally called Punaschetana.
“Congress leaders have collected huge amounts of money through bribes and some leaders have collected bribes totalling ₹42 crore only to fund elections in other States”G.T. Deve Gowda,JD(S) Core Committee chairman
He said that there were three main reasons behind striking the alliance with the BJP. “We are impressed by the good governance being given by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. We want him to be the Prime Minister for the third time. We are also greatly upset by the anti-people governance by the Congress. We want to throw out this government. We were also told by several swamijis and religious heads that we should tie up with the BJP and defeat the Congress. Therefore, we are supporting the BJP only to save Karnataka,” Mr. Deve Gowda said.
“People should support a regional party. They should not be swayed by inducements, but support the Janata Dal(S) to save Karnataka,” he said.
“Congress leaders are indulging in doublespeak against the Janata Dal(S). They do not find any problem with their senior leadership when they enter into alliance with other parties. But they will object to alliances planned or made by the Janata Dal(S) leaders,” he said.
He said that “Congress leaders have collected huge amounts of money through bribes”. “Some leaders have collected bribes totalling ₹42 crore only to fund elections in other States,” he added.
“Congress leaders are only speaking about their so-called guarantees. There is no development. The government is indulging in large-scale corruption,” Mr. Deve Gowda said and added that party leader H.D. Kumaraswamy has led pro-people, pro-farmer government in the past.
‘Cong. is sick, obese’
The former MLC Y.S.V. Datta said that the Congress is “sick and obese”. “This anti-people government should go and should be replaced by a pro-people government,” he said.
Alkod Hanumanthappa said that the Congress has failed to properly implement its pre-poll guarantees. “The government is not taking up any development programmes,” he said. “Senior Ministers are admitting that there is no money for development,” he said.
Mr. Hanumanthappa said that the government has withdrawn its decision to increase the number of liqour shop licence only due to the opposition raised by the Janata Dal(S).
“There is so much of dissidence and differences of opinion in this government that we do not know who is the Chief Minister,” he said.
Party leaders Sa Ra Mahesh, Bandeppa Kashempur, C.S. Puttaraju, B.M. Farooq, Venkatgouda Nadagoudar, Shankar Madalagi and others were present.
