Bribery issue: Gowda accuses BJP of conspiring with Congress

: JD (S) supremo and former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda broke his silence on the Rs 1.5 billion bribery charge against his son and Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy by accusing a section of the BJP and the Congress of hatching a deep-rooted conspiracy to destabilize the JD (S).

In a four-page letter faxed to newspaper offices in Bangalore from New Delhi, Gowda said a section of the BJP leaders were supporting the Congress party in its bid to weaken the JD (S) and harm his and his family members image.

Though Gowda stood by his beleaguered son Kumaraswamy, who is facing bribery allegations, the former Prime Minister indicated that he had no confidence in the present coalition Government and declared that he would take up a state-wide tour during the first week of August to shore up his party’s image.

“I am anxious to prove to the Congress and the BJP that our party is the only alternative in the State”, Mr Gowda said showing his eagerness for mid-term polls. “We had fought the elections on the principle of keeping equidistant from the BJP and the Congress. But, the people of the State had supported us rather ‘half-heartedly’ during the 2004 elections. This had forced us to align with the Congress first and then with the BJP to form different Governments”, Gowda said.

But, Gowda made it clear that he had to swallow both pain and humiliation for aligning with the Congress and later with the BJP. “I am continuing to do so even now”.

Reposing faith in the style of functioning of his son H D Kumaraswamy as the Chief Minister of the State, Gowda said a few disgruntled and power-hungry BJP leaders in the state had joined hands with Congress defame the Chief Minister following the tremendous response he received from the people in the first few months.

Meanwhile, Gowda’s open attack against the BJP has not gone down well with the saffron party leadership in the state. “It is hundred per cent lies”, said BJP leader and Minister for Water Resources K S Eshwarappa while speaking to reporters in Mysore on Wednesday.

“There are no sections in the BJP. The entire BJP is one. There is no truth in Gowda’s allegation that a section of the party had conspired against the Chief Minister with the support of the Congress”, he said.

BJP’s Karnataka unit President Sadananda Gowda did not see the need for attaching any importance to Gowda’s allegations as the coalition Government never had the blessing of the former Prime Minister.

“Hence, we have nothing to do with Gowda and his comments. He was always unhappy with his son forming a Government with the BJP”, Sadananda Gowda said.