Janata Dal (Secular) national president H D Deve Gowda said on Friday that he would decide on his retirement only after bringing back his party to power in the state.
At a function organised to handover the baton to newly-appointed state president A Krishnappa here, Gowda said he was never perturbed over the party’s debacle or bloat of victory.
“I will tour the state to bring back the JD(S) to power at any cost. I will come out clean of all allegations (that JD(S) was the party of father and sons and his party was known for breaking promises). I will think of taking retirement from politics only after achieving this task,” he said.
Gowda likened party state president A Krishnappa to Lord Krishna and said: “We have got Krishna in the form of Krishnappa. I am confident that Krishnappa will lead the party and this has reduced burden on me. I will tour Mangalore, Udupi and Karwar from September 15 to win love and affection of all.”
Former union minister Basanagouda Patil Yatnal said mining and real estate business have become a curse to politics. It seems there is no time for good people, he said. Former minister Iqbal Ansari lauded the contributions of Gowda and Kumaraswamy to the minority communities.
Yatnal said he was ready for a debate on the issue with the minority leaders of the Congress like Roshan Baig, C M Ibrahim and Jaffer Sharief.
Earlier, Leader of Opposition H D Kumaraswamy handed over the charge to Krishnappa.