JD(S) leadership under fire after drawing a blank in bypolls
Bengaluru, Dec 11: Days after JD(S) drew a blank in the assembly bypolls in Karnataka, its leadership came under fire from within on Wednesday,with senior leader G T Devegowda targeting former Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy, asking him to introspect and cautioning him of losing his popularity.
The former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda-led party that had won three of the 15 seats that went for the bypolls in the previous elections--K R Pete, Mahalakshmi Layout and Hunsur-- drew a blank this time around.
The ruling BJP on Monday swept the assembly bypolls, held on December 5, winning 12 of the 15 seats, while Congress won just two.
An Independent candidate Sharath Bachegowda, who was earlier expelled from the BJP for anti-party activities after he contested the bypoll as a rebel, emerged triumphant.
"I had said earlier also... Kumaraswamy had been Chief Minister twice. He was a Lok Sabha member. He should be cautious while speaking, speaking too much is not good.....," Devegowda said.
"..... even now I would like to tell him- by speaking and tweeting certain things, don't make public opinion turn against you."
The senior JD(S) leader said that in recent days even Kumaraswamy's 'fans' feel hurt by his utterances.
".....he has to change... no one has fans who are crazy about their idol as Kumaraswamy has. If they are turning into your opponents, it's time for introspection.
Think about where things have gone wrong. During defeat one has to introspect and plan for the future," he added.
Interestingly, G T Devegowda, who has been upset with party leaders for some time now, had remained neutral during the bypolls, despite all parties approaching him for support.
A prominent Vokkaliga leader from the region, he has the credit of defeating the then Chief Minister Siddaramaiah from Chamundeshwari constituency in the 2018 assembly polls.
Asked whether Devegowda was behind the party's defeat in Hunsur, JD(S) state President H K Kumaraswamy on Tuesday had said "Devegowda left our party mentally quite some time ago."
A meeting of party MLAs is likely to be convened soon to discuss the bypolls results.
Losing K R Pete, considered the party's bastion to the BJP has hurt JD(S) the most.
Creating history, BJP won the K R Pete seat in Mandya district- the Vokkaliga stronghold dominated by JD(S) and Congress for decades, for the first time in this bypolls.
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Kangana Ranaut sparks row: Claims Gandhi made 'Raghupati Raghav Raja Ram' the national anthem
New Delhi: A significant political controversy has erupted following the Modi government's decision to rename the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA), a move that has drawn sharp criticism from opposition parties. The row was further fueled by BJP MP Kangana Ranaut, who, while defending the name change, erroneously claimed that Mahatma Gandhi had made the devotional song "Raghupati Raghav Raja Ram" India’s national anthem.
The central government has rebranded the flagship rural employment scheme from MGNREGA to the "Viksit Bharat-Guarantee for Employment and Livelihood Mission," abbreviated as VB-G RAM G. The removal of Mahatma Gandhi's name from the scheme has been termed an insult to the Father of the Nation by the Congress and other opposition parties.
When questioned by the media outside Parliament regarding the opposition's allegations, Mandi MP Kangana Ranaut defended the government's decision by invoking Mahatma Gandhi's devotion to Lord Ram.
"How is naming it 'Ram Ji' an insult to Gandhi ji?" Ranaut asked. "Mahatma Gandhi made 'Raghupati Raghav Raja Ram' the national anthem to organize the entire country. Therefore, this is an insult to Mahatma Gandhi? The government is fulfilling his dream by giving it the name of Ram."
Ranaut's claim regarding the national anthem was immediately seized upon by the opposition. Congress leader Supriya Shrinate shared the video of Ranaut’s statement on social media, tweeting sarcastically, "Come on brother, today we learned a new national anthem! The BJP is full of such gems."
Social media users also trolled the MP for the factual error. One user quipped, "Kangana ji forgot to mention that Bapu made this the national anthem after the country got independence in 2014," while another commented that the party finds people who "don't use their brains while forwarding WhatsApp messages."
Beyond the social media mockery, senior Congress leaders criticised the renaming on ideological grounds. Former Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot took to X (formerly Twitter) to condemn the move.
"The biggest irony is that Mahatma Gandhi was a lifelong devotee of Lord Ram and said 'Hey Ram' in his last moments," Gehlot wrote. "Today, the central government is making a despicable attempt to sideline Gandhi ji under the guise of the same 'Ram' name (VB-G RAM G), which is highly condemnable."
मनरेगा का नाम बदलने की केंद्र सरकार की कवायद महात्मा गांधी के प्रति उनकी ओछी मानसिकता और असम्मान का प्रमाण है। सरकार पहले 'पूज्य बापू' के नाम का शिगूफा छोड़ती है और फजीहत होने पर अब 'विकसित भारत-गारंटी फॉर रोजगार एंड आजीविका मिशन (VB-G RAM G)' जैसा नाम थोपना चाहती है। बार-बार नाम…
— Ashok Gehlot (@ashokgehlot51) December 15, 2025
गांधी जी ने ‘रघुपति राघव राजा राम’ को लेकर नेशनल एंथम बनाया था
— Supriya Shrinate (@SupriyaShrinate) December 16, 2025
BJP MP कंगना रनौत
चलो भाई आज नया नेशनल एंथम भी पता चला है!
BJP में एक से एक शिरोमणि भरे पड़े हैं 😂🤣 pic.twitter.com/9DvyV5xLb1
