Siddaramaiah and Deve Gowda at the latter's Padmanabhanagar residence in Bengaluru on Monday

What's brewing? Siddaramaiah calls on Deve Gowda, sets tongues wagging

Naveen Ammembala
19 Sept 2022 8:55 PM IST (Updated:2022-09-19 15:37:19)

In a surprise move, former Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah met former Prime Minister and JD(S) supremo H D Deve Gowda on Monday evening.

After the Assembly session, Siddaramaiah asked his staff to move his convoy to Padmanabhanagar to call on his former political chief Deve Gowda to enquire about his well-being.

Siddaramaiah’s meeting with Deve Gowda has created ripples in political circles, as it happened at the time when the Karnataka Congress chief D K Shivakumar (DKS) was in New Delhi in connection with an Enforcement Directorate case. This has led to much speculation in both the Siddaramaiah and DKS camps of the Congress.

Siddaramaiah-DKS tussle

It is worth noting that Siddaramaiah’s move has come at a time when the rift between Siddaramaiah and DKS has resurfaced. In fact, Shivakumar is on the verge of being elevated to a second term as president of the Karnataka Congress based on the outcome of the ED case.

Also read: Turmoil in Karnataka Congress as DKS-Siddaramaiah rift resurfaces

After Siddaramaiah was expelled from the JD(S) in 2004 for involvement in the AHINDA movement, he resigned as an MLA to re-contest independently to become an MLA from the Chamudenshwari constituency. Later he joined the Congress and became the state chief minister.

This had led to a lot of heartburn and Siddaramaiah did not want to have any personal relationship with his former leader Deve Gowda.

Strategic meetings

But, when the Cauvery river dispute was in court, Siddaramaiah as chief minister went to Padmanabhanagar to meet Deve Gowda as the latter is said to be an expert in water disputes. Siddaramaiah sought his suggestions while dealing legally with the dispute with Tamil Nadu and other bordering states.

This is the second time Siddaramaiah is meeting Vokkaliga leader Deve Gowda on the premise of enquiring about his health. Political experts feel that this is a strategic move by the Congress leader to blunt the allegations by his rivals that he is anti-Vokkaliga.

Also read: Did not eat meat the day I visited temple: Congress leader Siddaramaiah