TUMAKURU/BENGALURU: Former Congress MLA KN Rajanna on Friday was slammed by the Congress and JDS leadership for his comments on the health condition of former PM HD Deve Gowda.
“Now Deve Gowda needs a pair of attendants to walk and in the near future he may need four,” Rajanna said while addressing a gathering on the occasion of a farewell organised for a Gram Panchayat staff in Madhugiri taluk.
After the video went viral, Rajanna said it was edited to exclude the context about life, death and retirement which are inescapable. “If it had hurt the feelings of Deve Gowda’s family, I’ll personally visit him and apologise,” he said. But KPCC chief DK Shivakumar issued a statement in New Delhi, saying, “The statement about a worshipful leader like Deve Gowda who contributed to the state and the country is condemnable and inhuman. I have instructed Rajanna to tender his apology immediately.” The Congress had backed him to become the PM and continues to respect him, he said.
Will teach him a lesson: HDK
Flaying Rajanna, ex-CM HD Kumaraswamy termed the remarks uncivilised. “I am still alive, and as HD Deve Gowda’s son, I will teach Rajanna a lesson. He showed his ugly culture and he will get a befitting response,’’ he charged. When he learned about Rajanna’s statement, he recalled Deve Gowda gave Rajanna a political rebirth by campaiging despite his ill health. But Rajanna engineered his defeat in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls from Tumkur, he said.