TUMAKURU: The quelling of rebellion for Congress-JD(S) alliance candidate and former prime minister HD Deve Gowda in Tumkur Lok Sabha seat, looks like an initial mileage for the JD(S) supremo. However, some of the leaders, especially those within Congress and BJP, are afraid that the Deve Gowda family will take the entire district into its clutches, once Gowda becomes the LS member from here.
Former Madhugiri Congress MLA KN Rajanna - a supporter of CLP leader Siddaramaiah - who suffered politically at the hands of Deve Gowda, continued to oppose the latter’s candidature. In the bypolls held during 2008, Gowda’s daughter-in-law Anitha Kumaraswamy, had defeated Rajanna. After the completion of her term, she shifted to Ramanagara and this was when Rajanna won the 2013 assembly polls. However, in 2018 assembly polls, MV Veerabhadraiah - a vokkaliga and a close confidant of HD Deve Gowda - had defeated Rajanna - an ST Nayaka leader.
If Rajanna happens to campaign for HD Deve Gowda in Madhugiri assembly constituency, it amounts to campaigning for the JD(S) party and he would lose his grip completely on the constituency. Sensing this danger, Rajanna backed Muddahanumegowda to be in the contest as a rebel. However, the latter backed out.
“Yes, the party high command has instructed to campaign for the alliance candidate. We’ll tour the district extensively for Deve Gowda, you know,” he sarcastically told reporters, soon after withdrawing his nomination papers reluctantly on Friday.He also expressed his displeasure over the Deputy CM G Parameshwara not being able to retain the seat for the Congress party.
On the other hand, his close friend in the BJP JC Madhuswami, Chikkanayakanahalli MLA, expressed ‘concern’ of the district going into the clutches of HD Deve Gowda and his family members.“People of the district should think about the future of politics, as the ‘yajamanike’ (ownership) will go into the hands of the Gowdas of Hassan district. Even KN Rajanna had fought against the Gowda’s indifference to the district when it comes to the Hemavathy river water issue,” he told reporters.
Parameshwara also could not help in the release of Hemavathy river water, he criticised. According to sources, the DyCM wants to make Tumakuru district leadership irrelevant by establishing H D Deve Gowda, which will have an adverse effect in the long run.