LS poll under collective leadership: Deve Gowda
“No objection over Rahul Gandhi’s ambition to become PM
Hubballi, July 15: Saying that the Lok Sabha election would be faced under collective leadership, JDS supremo and former prime minister HD Deve Gowda said that the Third Front was not yet formed and he would not lead it.
Speaking to reporters here on Sunday, the former PM said that all leaders of the Third Front were present during the swearing in ceremony of Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy and Deputy Chief Minister Dr G Parameshwar. But till now, the Third Front had no clarity. In each state, the regional parties have their own positives and negatives and in some states, national parties have strong base. In the threshold of Lok Sabha elections, there might be alliance with some political parties in some states. This alliance could also be happened post-election. But it would depend upon the demands of the circumstances, he analysed.
“In Tamil Nadu, there are several groups and it would be difficult to understand their strength. There is no clarity on the political parties which go with the Congress against BJP. But I would not say that all the 29 leaders of various parties who came to Bengaluru, would come together. But they created a history by coming under one roof while the JDS-Congress coalition government was forming. My fight is limited to protect the JDS in the national politics. I would not go to take up the leadership against BJP. I have the seniority. But I also know the strength of my party”, he said.
“I will not object for Rahul’s leadership”
“I’ll not have any objection for the leadership of AICC president Rahul Gandhi and his ambition to become the Prime Minister. The Congress would decide on making Mallikarjuna Kharge as the PM. We are concerned with the number of seats in the Lok Sabha election. JDS-Congress alliance should also be discussed and finalized”.
- HD Deve Gowda, JDS Supremo
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PM must clarify whether he endorses Sarma's 'utterly shameful' remarks on Kharge: Priyanka
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New Delhi (PTI): Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Wednesday said the use of "abusive" language by Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma against Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge is "utterly shameful" and added Prime Minister Narendra Modi must clarify whether he endorses this "insult".
Sarma had triggered a row on Tuesday when he hit out at Kharge, saying that he was "speaking like a mad man" due to old age, after the latter put the onus on central agencies to probe the charges made against the Assam chief minister.
In a post in Hindi on X, Priyanka Gandhi said, "The kind of abusive and derogatory language used by Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma against the Congress president and Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha, Shri Mallikarjun Kharge, is utterly shameful and unacceptable."
She said Kharge is one of the most senior leaders in the country and serves as an enlightened representative not only of the Congress party but also of the Dalits and the marginalised sections of the nation.
"By insulting him, the BJP chief minister has insulted crores of people across the country," she said.
"Prime Minister Narendra Modi must clarify to the nation: does he endorse this insult directed at crores of Indians?" she said.
The Congress on Tuesday accused Sarma of insulting party chief Kharge and demanded an unconditional apology from him for his "deplorable conduct" that it alleged reflects the "anti-Dalit mindset" of the BJP.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday had said the use of "derogatory language" against party chief Mallikarjun Kharge by Sarma was an insult to the entire SC/ST community, and the silence of Prime Minister Modi on the matter "is not his helplessness, but his consent".
"If the prime minister sees an attack on the dignity of crores of Dalits in the country and does not speak up - he is not only shirking his responsibility, but is also a party to that insult," Gandhi said in a post in Hindi on X.
Gandhi said the use of "vulgar and derogatory language" by Sarma against Kharge "is entirely condemnable, shameful, and unacceptable".
"Kharge ji is a senior and popular Dalit leader of the country - his experience, stature, and prestige are unparalleled. Insulting him is not an insult to one individual alone, but also to crores of people from the SC-ST community in this country," he posted.
This, he said, just reflected the "old and premeditated mindset" of the BJP-RSS and was nothing new.
"Whether it is the insult to Babasaheb Ambedkar, belittling Dalit leaders, or personal attacks on representatives of the SC-ST community - the history of BJP and RSS bears witness that whenever a Dalit leader speaks the truth, they stoop to humiliate him," Gandhi said.
"This is their ideology, this is their true character and face," he added.
Posing a direct question to the prime minister, he asked, "Do you support Himanta Sarma's use of this language? Your silence is not helplessness, it is consent."
