Unperturbed by dissension and rebellion in Janata Dal (Secular), former Prime Minister and JDS supremo HD Deve Gowda hopes to build a credible alternative to a resurgent BJP by uniting Janata Parivar. Addressing a Press conference in Bangalore on Tuesday Gowda said all the constituents of the Janata Party want to come together again to create a credible alternative.
He said “....the earlier Janata Party was responsible for bringing a secular Government headed by Morarji Desai. Subsequently, due to various reasons it was split. All the constituents of the Janata Party want to come together again to create a credible alternative....,”
Six political parties of the ‘Janata parivar’ had come together last week to present a united front against the Government in the Winter Session of Parliament and they had not ruled out the possibility of a merger in the future to take on a resurgent BJP. JD(U) leaders Sharad Yadav and Nitish Kumar, RJD supremo lalu Prasad,INlD’s Dushyant Chautala and SJP’s Kamal Morarka had come together at the lunch hosted by Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav on November 6.
Gowda said “My suggestion is....let Mulayam or someone head the party, I also requested them to contact left parties, even Trianamool Congress, Anna DMK, Naveen Patnaik (BJD), and all those people who are interested to come into the fold so that we can create a strong alternative.” “I have also suggested that if Congress wants to support us, let them also come, he added.
Accusing BJP using CBI in sending INlD leader Om Prakash Chautala to jail by cancelling his bail, he said, “today there is a situation like undeclared emergency in the country.” “....BJP is misusing the CBI, what they used to call Congress Bureau of Investigation....” he said.
However political pundits feel it was one more political gimmick of former Prime Minister Gowda to keep his politics in the national level as his party in Karnataka was struggling to keep its identity intact. in fact many leaders have left JDS and joined other parties like BJP and Congress questioning the credibility of father and son HD Devegowda and his son HD Kumaraswamy to lead the party.