BENGALURU: In a major setback for the Janata Dal (Secular), which has decided to ally with the Bharatiya Janata Party for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, former chief minister HD Kumaraswamy’s aide and former Channapatna MLA M C Ashwath joined the Congress at the KPCC office here on Monday. With him came his supporters, including Muslim leaders.
“On Mahatma Gandhi’s birth anniversary, we are inducting JDS leaders and workers who have faith in the Congress party’s ideology. Thousands of people from across the state have come forward to join the party,” said Deputy Chief Minister and KPCC president DK Shivakumar.
Replying to former prime minister HD Deve Gowda’s warning to him that his ploy to ‘poach’ scores of JDS leaders will not work, Shivakumar asked why he shouldn’t welcome leaders who are ready to accept the party’s ideology and are upset with the JDS-BJP alliance.
“Revered Deve Gowda, you and your party leaders have said many times that you will not join hands with the BJP. But now you have joined hands. In such a situation, shouldn’t I call those who believe in our party? Have you not played chess and football by inducting many Congress leaders into your party in the past?” he asked. He pointed out that CM Ibrahim, who was a Congress MLC, was forced to resign and inducted into the JDS, but was eventually ignored while taking a decision to ally with the BJP.
Muslim leaders will join congress, says Zameer
Housing and Minorities Welfare Minister Zameer Ahmed Khan on Monday said that hundreds of Muslim leaders from across Old Mysuru region, including Ramanagara, Hassan and Mandya districts, will be inducted into the Congress at a mega convention to be held at Palace Grounds in Bengaluru soon. He observed that Deve Gowda was secular till recently, and the community got social justice, but was now upset with the BJP-JDS alliance.