‘Humiliation’, says Congress on denial of Rajya Sabha nomination to H.D. Deve Gowda

The nomination of M. Nagaraja to the Rajya Sabha by the BJP instead of fielding former Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda drew ridicule from the Congress on Monday (June 8), with the party terming the move as “humiliation heaped upon the JD(S) by the BJP”.

“The constant humiliation heaped upon JD(S) by the BJP and its leadership, and its repeated acceptance by JD(S) State president H.D. Kumaraswamy merely sticking to a Ministerial chair at any cost is highly astonishing and eye-opening” said Congress General Secretary in charge of Karnataka Randeep Singh Surjewala in a post on X. He added that the Congress and its leader Sonia Gandhi, despite political differences, respected Mr. Gowda’s status as former Prime Minister and extended support to him in the 2020 Rajya Sabha elections. “If the JD(S) has self-respect, it should walk out of the alliance with the BJP,” he said.

KPCC president B.K. Hariprasad termed it an insult, accusing the BJP of using and misusing the former Prime Minister for its benefits. “The Congress helped him (Mr. Gowda) get unanimously elected to the Rajya Sabha. They (BJP) have used the name of Mr. Gowda for a long time to get bills passed in the Parliament and used him for a political advantage. It is not an insult to Mr. Gowda alone, but an insult to the people of Karnataka by denying the Rajya Sabha nomination to him. The people of Karnataka will give a befitting reply,” stressed

However, JD(S) sources accused the Congress of trying to drive a wedge between the NDA partners, something both parties are fully aware of. “We will not be affected by such attacks. The Congress has been showing concerns unnecessarily. Mr. Gowda is above all and our alliance is intact,” they said.

When asked for his reaction to the Congress’s attack, BJP State president B.Y. Vijayendra said that there has been no discussion in the State unit on sending Mr. Gowda to Rajya Sabha. “We have all the respect for Mr. Gowda. The party Central leadership will hold discussions and provide him with an appropriate position in the coming days.”