The former Minister G.T. Deve Gowda, who is hobnobbing with BJP leaders in Mysuru, has thrown in his lot with the Congress over the State government’s decision to appoint administrative councils at gram panchayat level by putting off polls to the local bodies by six months.
Speaking to reporters in Mysuru on Thursday, Mr. Gowda, JD(S) MLA representing Chamundeshwari constituency, said there was widespread opposition in rural areas to the government’s move to appoint administrative councils without holding polls to gram panchayats after their term ends in June–July.
He admitted that he met the former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah in this regard in Bengaluru recently. Contending that the government’s decision to appoint administrative councils was against Mahatma Gandhi’s concept of ‘Swarajya’ that envisaged power in the hands of people’s representatives, Mr. Gowda favoured continuation of administration by existing gram panchayats till the elections are held.
Mr. Gowda, who had publicly expressed his disillusionment with the JD(S) leadership, was having a cordial relationship with BJP leadership in the State. His meeting with Mr. Siddaramaiah had raised a few eyebrows in the political circles here.
Minister for Rural Development and Panchayat Raj K.S. Eshwarappa, who was in Mysuru on Thursday, defended the government’s decision. “A decision in this regard was taken after consulting legal experts, including the State Advocate-General. A Cabinet decision has been taken in the matter,” he told reporters.
