Four-time MLC Marithibbe Gowda of Janata Dal (Secular) resigned from his Legislative Council membership on Thursday citing personal reasons, a decision which he said, he had taken after consulting his electorate (teachers) and well-wishers.
Mr. Gowda submitted his resignation to Chairman of Karnataka Legislative Council Basavaraj Horatti at his residential office on Thursday. Mr. Horatti told presspersons that he had accepted the resignation and consequently Mr. Gowda ceases to be a member of the Legislative Council with immediate effect.
Later, speaking to presspersons, Mr. Gowda said that he would take decision on his next political move after consulting the teachers of his constituency and well-wishers.
No contact
To a query on whether he had informed the JD(S) supremo on his resignation, Mr. Gowda said that there had been no proper communication between him and the party supremo Mr. Deve Gowda and his sons for the last four years.
To another query, he said that JD(S) decisions were taken by Mr. Deve Gowda and his sons H.D. Kumaraswamy and H.D. Revanna and none of the loyal party workers and leaders had been consulted on any decisions, including the decision to align with BJP in the Lok Sabha elections..
He said that the party’s loyal workers were being neglected while giving recognition or positions and this he had brought it to the notice of the party’s high command on several occasions.
Opposition to Gowda family
He said on two occasions he had openly opposed the decision to give party ticket to outsiders and also opposed the candidature of Nikhil Kumaraswamy during the last Lok Sabha elections. This naturally had embarrassed Mr. Deve Gowda and his family, he said.
He said JD(S) had become a family party and Prime Minister Narendra Modi too had said the same on several occasions. However, Mr. Modi himself had now aligned with BJP, he said.
He likened the JD(S)-BJP alliance with similar to “trying to cross the river sitting on the back of a crocodile” and said that BJP was like a crocodile, which could not be trusted. He also said that his politics was based on secularism and people would give answer to the JD(S)-BJP alliance.
