THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Janata Dal (Secular) supremo H D Deve Gowda on Friday retracted his claim that the Kerala chief minister had given his nod for the JD(S)-BJP alliance in Karnataka, after Pinarayi Vijayan lashed out at the former prime minister accusing him of making a “factually wrong and absurd” statement to justify his political overtures.
“There is some confusion about my statement on the CPM. My Communist friends do not seem to have followed what I said nor the context in which I said it. I never said the CPM in Kerala supports the BJP-JD(S) alliance. I only said my party unit in Kerala is getting along with the LDF government as things within my party units outside Karnataka remain unresolved after our alliance with the BJP.
I wish CPM leaders had chosen their words better or sought clarification,” Deve Gowda posted on X (formerly Twitter) Friday evening. Deve Gowda’s statement on Thursday stirred a political controversy in Kerala with the Congress pouncing on an opportunity to target the CM and the CPM, and the ruling party and state unit of the JD(S) staunchly rejecting the former PM’s claim.
Pinarayi, in a strongly-worded statement, said public propriety and political decency demand that Deve Gowda correct his absurd statement. “At no stage has the CPM ever tried to interfere in the internal matters of the JD(S). As chief minister, there never arose a situation where I had to intervene in their internal affairs. We cannot be held responsible for such blabbering,” he said.
It’s not for the first time that Deve Gowda has joined hands with the BJP, Pinarayi said. “All of us remember JD(S) aligning with the BJP in 2006. Deve Gowda is someone who joined hands with the BJP, defeating his own party’s ideology, just to ensure the chief ministership for his son. The Janata Dal in Kerala consists of those led by national leader Surendra Mohan, who left the party in protest against Deve Gowda’s opportunistic political stance,” he said.
JD(S) Kerala unit rejects supremo’s statement against Pinarayi
Sensing a political opportunity, the Congress reiterated its allegation of a CPM-BJP nexus. Leader of Opposition V D Satheesan said the revelation shows that the state government is being run by the Sangh parivar. Pinarayi has concurred with the JD(S)-BJP alliance in order to sabotage the ED probe into Karuvannur scam, he added. State Congress chief K Sudhakaran alleged that a scared Pinarayi has been waiting for Narendra Modi to show mercy.
He alleged that the JD(S) was CPM’s bridge to the BJP. CPM general secretary Sitaram Yechury said Deve Gowda has no idea about what is happening in the JD(S) “due to old age”. “People know very well what is our stance regarding any kind of alliance with BJP... How can a party with the name Janata Dal (Secular) enter into an understanding with a communal party like BJP? The Kerala unit of JD(S) has unanimously rejected the idea. That’s why they still continue to be in the LDF,” Yechury said. JD(S) state chief Mathew T Thomas too rejected Deve Gowda’s statement. The JD(S) national committee had adopted a resolution to oppose both the BJP and the Congress, he said.
Referring to Deve Gowda’s remark, he said,” This is a statement that could lead to lot of misinterpretations in Kerala politics. It could either be a statement due to misunderstanding or due to his age-related issues. At no stage would the chief minister give such a concurrence. Moreover, there’s no need to seek his clearance,” Mathew added.
Speaking to the media on Thursday, Gowda had justified his decision to align with the BJP, and said the Kerala chief minister had given his full approval for the alliance.