BENGALURU: Former Prime Minister and JDS supremo H D Deve Gowda on Sunday said there is a threat to the democratic system in the country and voters in the state must send out a message against such developments by supporting the regional party. “We have taken up bypolls to the assembly seats as a challenge,” he said.
Addressing JDS workers in Mahalakshmi Layout in Bengaluru, Gowda said he will visit every single ward in the Assembly constituency to ensure that his party retains the seat in the bypolls.“I have taken it as a challenge,” he said, and asked JDS workers to start preparing for the elections. “We did everything for Gopalaiah and also considered his demand to make his wife Bengaluru Deputy Mayor. He left the party and his wife is now planning to join BJP to become mayor. We have to tell the people that K Gopalaiah was among the JDS rebel legislators who abstained from HD Kumarawamy’s trust vote and helped the BJP pull down the coalition government.”
Taking a dig at Gopalaiah, the former PM said he will not make personal comments against anyone, even if the person left the party for money.He said Gopalaiah is backed by some unseen powers. “There is some other reason behind it and I will not speak about it now. I will come to every ward to defeat Gopalaiah who has money power,” he said, adding that the party has full confidence in the people of the constituency.
Gowda said that democracy in the country is under threat, and India is heading towards a dictatorial system. “We have to fight it. People must support us to send out a message against such a system, and also show that regional parties are still relevant,” he said.
Gowda said his party had not approached the Congress to make Kumaraswamy chief minister. “I had even suggested Mallikarjun Kharge’s name, but they insisted on making Kumaraswamy the CM,” he said.