Deve Gowda plays down Muslim resignations from JDS, says he held discussion with Amit Shah

Bengaluru, Sept 27: Former Prime Minister of India and JD(S) patriarch HD Deve Gowda has played-down the Muslim resignation spree from the party following it joined the Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP)-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) for the 2024 Lok Sabha Elections. 
 
Addressing a press conference, he binned allegations of unhappy workers quitting the party after the BJP tie up and accused Congress, which is the ruling party in Karnataka, of spreading false propaganda. 

Deve Gowda also said that a decision to ally with the Bharatiya Janata Party for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections was taken after consultation with his party colleagues.

“Before joining BJP, I took the views of our 19 MLAs and 8 MLCs who said that JD(S) should consider entering into an understanding with BJP," Deve Gowda said.

The JD(S) chief said that he had not met Prime Minister Narendra Modi and that he had met Home Minister Amit Shah for the first time in the last 10 years.

“We are not power-hungry politicians... I held a discussion with Home Minister Amit Shah for the first time in the last 10 years... I have not met PM Modi... I also explained the political situation in Karnataka to HM…" Deve Gowda said.

He further said that JD(S) leader HD Kumaraswamy will join the sit-in protest against the State government by former Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa over the Cauvery water-sharing issue near the Gandhi statue in Bengaluru today.

The JD(S) had on 22 September joined hands with the BJP-led NDA to take on the Congress party in Karnataka in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

JD(S) leader and former Karnataka chief minister HD Kumaraswamy made the announcement of the tie-up after meeting Union Home Minister Amit Shah and BJP chief JP Nadda in the national capital.

The JD(S) had aligned with the Congress in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, however, the parties faced a drubbing as the BJP swept 25 out of the 28 seats in Karnataka while Congress and JDS secured one seat each and even an independent candidate supported by the BJP won from the Mandya constituency.