JD(S) to fight Lok Sabha polls independently, says Deve Gowda but keeps options open
Bengaluru (PTI): The Janata Dal (Secular) would fight the Lok Sabha elections independently, the party supremo and former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda, said on Tuesday but appeared to keep the options open amid the recent bonhomie between the party and the BJP.
The party would decide on its action in future based on the prevailing situation, he said.
Deve Gowda also said he was not invited to the meeting of opposition parties here earlier this month as a section of the Congress in Karnataka was opposed to such a move even though Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar wanted him to be there.
Gowda's son and former Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy said last week his party would work together with the BJP against the Congress government in Karnataka on various issues, fueling speculation of the two parties joining hands for next year's polls.
Both the JD (S) and the BJP MLAs had boycotted the Assembly session after ten BJP legislators were suspended from the House for "indecent and disrespectful conduct" in the House.
"JD(S) will fight the Lok Sabha elections independently", Deve Gowda told a news conference here.
"Whether we (the party) win five, six, three, two or one seats, we will fight the Lok Sabha elections independently", he said. "We will field candidates only in those places where we are strong after consulting with our workers".
Gowda, however, said the party will decide its future course of action based on the prevailing situation.
In this context, he recalled how his party had given support to the Congress-led government led by the then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.
The JD (S) and the Congress had fought the 2019 Lok Sabha elections together. The BJP had won 25 out of 28 seats in Karnataka then.
The JD (S) and the Congress had secured one seat each, while an independent backed by the BJP had also won.
Deve Gowda, who had contested from Tumakuru Lok Sabha segment, had also lost.
To a question on why he was not invited by the opposition parties for its meeting in Bengaluru on July 17, Gowda said a section of Congress leaders from Karnataka had opposed his presence.
"A section of Congress here (in Karnataka) had threatened that they will not attend the event if Deve Gowda is invited. Hence, I was not called," he said.
Deve Gowda said Nitish Kumar wanted to invite him but some local Congress leaders were not in favour.
The JD(S) put up a poor show in the elections to the 224-member Karnataka Assembly in May, bagging only 19 seats.
"The party has existed till today since 1983 and will continue to exist. Those who think that the party will end are living under illusion. It is not possible," Gowda said.
According to Gowda, the 19 MLAs, seven MLCs and top leaders had a meeting last week and chalked out programmes for campaigning in the districts, which will be finalised after Kumaraswamy returns from abroad.
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Cong committed to protection of constitutional values: Kharge on Ambedkar's birth anniversary
New Delhi (PTI): On B R Ambedkar's birth anniversary, the Congress on Monday reiterated its commitment to his idea of social justice and said that it takes an "oath" to always remain committed to the protection of constitutional values and democracy.
Ambedkar is recognised for his lifelong struggle for the empowerment of Scheduled Castes and his key role in drafting the Constitution.
Born in a Dalit family in 1891, he was a brilliant student who went on to study in foreign countries. The discrimination he suffered in Indian society turned him into a committed social reformer. He was India's first law minister. He died in 1956.
In a post in Hindi on X, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said, "Babasaheb Dr Ambedkar gave the people of the country the Constitution of India based on the democratic values of justice, liberty, equality and fraternity, which is the most powerful tool for social justice and inclusive development."
Ambedkar described inclusiveness as his ultimate duty for the progress and unity of the country and strongly emphasised protecting the rights of all, Kharge said.
"On his 135th birth anniversary, we reiterate our unwavering commitment to his ideas of social change and social justice. The Congress party takes an oath that we will always remain committed to the protection of constitutional values and the protection of democracy," he said.
Paying tributes to Ambedkar, Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi said his struggle and contribution to strengthening the country's democracy and ensuring equal rights for every Indian "will always guide us in the fight to protect the Constitution".
"Tributes to Babasaheb Dr Bhimrao Ambedkar, the architect of the Indian Constitution, on his birth anniversary," Gandhi said on X.
"His contribution to and struggle for strengthening the country's democracy, for equal rights of every Indian and for the participation of every section will always guide us in the fight to protect the Constitution," the former Congress president said.
Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra paid tributes to Ambedkar and called on people to pledge to protect the Constitution and its values under all circumstances.
"Tributes to the architect of the Constitution, the country's first law minister, Bharat Ratna Babasaheb Dr Bhimrao Ambedkar ji on his birth anniversary. Due to the tireless efforts of Babasaheb, we got our Constitution which guarantees social justice, equality, fraternity and human rights for every Indian," she said.
"Our Constitution is the protective shield of every Indian and today attempts are being made to break this protective shield. The Constitution is being weakened by the power of the government," Priyanka Gandhi said in a post in Hindi on X.
"Come, let us pledge that we will protect Babasaheb's Constitution and its values under all circumstances," she said.
AICC general secretary K C Venugopal also paid tributes to Ambedkar and said the Congress is dedicated to fulfilling his dream and bringing social justice to all deprived sections of society.
"I bow to the great reformer, the architect of our Constitution, Bharat Ratna Dr B R Ambedkar on the occasion of his birth anniversary. In an era of deep social divisions, in the shadows of millennia of brutal discrimination, he mustered the courage to fight injustices and give a bold, progressive and egalitarian vision," Venugopal said on X.
His role in shaping the Constitution cannot be forgotten today, at a time when the forces in power are "hell bent on subverting it", he said.
"But it is to his credit that despite their nefarious intentions, not only has the Constitution stood the test of time but its moral weight has forced even those who oppose it to bow before it," he added.
"As we have stated in our Nyay Path declaration, we are dedicated to fulfilling his dream and bringing social justice to all deprived sections of our society. Jai Bhim!" Venugopal said.
