BENGALURU: After weeks of speculations of a JD(S)-BJP alliance in the offing, former prime minister and JD(S) party national president H D Deve Gowda announced the pre-poll "understanding" between the two parties.
He, however, added that the seat sharing formula will be decided between his son and former two time CM H D Kumaraswamy and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
"The decision has been taken to save our party, to ensure the survival of a regional party which has been targeted (by Congress) to be finished. We have decided on it (alliance with BJP) and a final meeting between my son Kumaraswamy and prime minister Narendra Modi will decide on how many seats will be given to us," said Gowda.
Gowda claimed that both the parties are on equal footing and neither the JD(S) nor BJP can be discounted in terms of their vote strength across the state.
"Does the BJP not have vote share in Mysuru, Mandya or Ramanagara? Similarly do not discount JD(S) strength as well. Without our votes in Bijapur, Raichur and Bidar, the BJP cannot win the Lok Sabha seat. In Chikkaballapura without our 2.8 lakh votes BJP cannot win the seat. I have made this clear in my meeting with the BJP leadership and the PM," said Gowda.
An emotional former PM said that it was a systematic move to finish JD(S) and the Congress and chief minister Siddaramaiah conspired to defeat him in Tumakuru in 2018 Lok Sabha elections and that it can never be forgotten.
"He (Siddaramaiah) had decided to finish me politically after his decimation by JD(S) MLA G T Deve Gowda in Chamundeshwari. I personally saw, and know, that Siddaramaiah and KN Rajanna (now cooperation minister) sat for two hours a couple of days before the elections to ensure my defeat in Tumakuru," he said.
He said there was no more ideology in Indian politics.
"The Congress speaks of ideology. Where is the ideology when you have joined hands with Bihar CM Nitish Kumar? Where is the ideology when you are joining hands with the Left parties in West Bengal and Tripura to fight against Mamata Banerjee while shoring up an alliance with I.N.D.I.A?" he asked.
Kumaraswamy said the decision was taken to save the state from the mal administration of the Congress party.
"I would like to tell my BJP friends that the reason for the alliance with the party is not for our personal ambitions or for power, it is to save the people of Karnataka," he said.
Earlier, G T Deve Gowda, the JD(S) core committee chairman said that the JD(S) alliance with BJP is in favour of PM Modi and not for state BJP leadership which has been wiped out in Karnataka at the recent assembly elections.
“We are going with the BJP for the simple reason that the BJP has given rise to a global leader like PM Modi. The alliance will not only be for the Lok Sabha elections but also for BBMP and ZP/TP polls as well. I promise you, the BJP-JD(S) alliance will wrest control of the Palike in Bengaluru,” he said.
Interestingly, party state president C M Ibrahim decided to sidestep the alliance and said that a decision will be arrived at an appropriate time by Kumaraswamy and Deve Gowda.
