Deve Gowda: Show me one party that has not associated with BJP

Former Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda has said he could not tell which party was communal and which was not, as he did not sound very optimistic about the ongoing efforts to forge an anti-BJP front nationally, ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.

The JD(S) national president sought to know if there was a single party in the country that has had no association with the BJP, either directly or indirectly.

“I can analyse in detail about this country’s politics, what is the use? Show me one party which has not associated with the BJP, either directly or indirectly. Show me one party in the whole country, then I will answer,” Gowda said in response to a question about Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar trying to forge an anti-BJP front at the national level.

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Speaking to reporters in Bengaluru on Tuesday (June 6), he said, “Some Congress leaders may say — but, had they not gone to Karunanidhi (of DMK), who supported BJP for six years, whether directly or indirectly…. that’s why I don’t want to discuss the political atmosphere prevailing in this country, there is no need, I have seen it as PM, CM, as MP…what happened in Maharashtra? I can quote several incidents.”

Declining to comment on a query about leading or joining a front against BJP on the request of like-minded parties, Gowda said, “Who is communal, who is not communal, I don’t know. First of all, the definition of communal and non communal — it can be enlarged, then the scope is much…”

Nitish had called a meeting of opposition parties in Patna on June 12. The event has now been postponed.

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Amid reports in a section of media that JD(S) would enter into an alliance with the BJP to fight the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, the party veteran said he and his party would not pay attention to such things.

“Regarding the Parliament election, there are a variety of things, we are not going to pay attention to it. Our party, our strength — our karyakartas are our strength — by unifying and encouraging them, we will have to work towards strengthening the regional party, save it and move ahead,” he said.

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