HD Kumaraswamy may contest LS polls if Modi and Shah want him to, says ex-PM Deve Gowda
Hassan (K'taka), Jan 25: JD(S) patriarch H D Deve Gowda on Thursday indicated that his son and former Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy may contest upcoming Lok Sabha polls, if Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah want him to do so.
BJP and JD(S) have ready joined hands and struck an alliance in Karnataka to fight the ruling Congress in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.
"Kumaraswamy... leave aside the speculations, don't know what Modi will say. In case he says he (Kumaraswamy) has to contest parliament polls, he may contest from anywhere, he has no issues, whether it is Mandya or even Tumakuru or Chikkaballapura, he is being invited to contest from many seats," Gowda said responding to a question whether Kumaraswamy will contest Lok Sabha polls from Mandya. "It is for Modi and Shah to decide, if Kumaraswamy has to come to Delhi."
"But, according to my knowledge, no such discussions have taken place so far. There are speculations about taking Kumaraswamy to Delhi and making him Minister in the central cabinet, but no such discussions have happened before me," the former Prime Minister added.
ALSO READ: Jagadish Shettar quits Congress, returns to BJP
Asked whether his grandson and Kumaraswamy's son Nikhil Kumaraswamy will contest the Lok Sabha polls, the JD(S) supremo said, Kumaraswamy is against fielding him, and he will have to decide on it.
"About Nikhil Kumaraswamy, Kumaraswamy feels that he should not contest, but in Mandya party leaders have made an unanimous resolution demanding either Nikhil Kumaraswamy or Kumaraswamy has to contest from there, but Kumaraswamy has to give his approval to it, if he approves he (Nikil) will contest, if not no," he said.
"He (Kumaraswamy) feels that both him and his son should not be contesting, as they will have to lead the party and its campaign."
Nikhil Kumaraswamy had unsuccessfully contested the 2019 Lok Sabha from Mandy seat against actress-turned-politician Sumalatha Ambareesh, an independent candidate supported by the BJP. He had also lost the 2023 Assembly polls from the party bastion of Ramanagara to Congress candidate H A Iqbal Hussain.
Noting that JD(S) has a sitting Member of Parliament from his home turf of Hassan, Gowda indicated that his other grandson Prajwal Revanna will seek re-election from the constituency in the Lok Sabha polls.
"There were speculations that I will contest from Hassan, many tried to create this impression that Gowda has to contest his last election from Hassan, but I said, I will not contest. I'm now 91 years, in three months, on May 18, I will complete 91. So in this constituency I will try to ensure that people support sitting MP Prajwal Revanna," he said.
Gowda said Kumaraswamy recently had a first round of meeting with state leaders of BJP like B S Yediyurappa, Basavaraj Bommai and B Y Vijayendra regarding seat sharing for the Lok Sabha polls.
"Regarding the seat sharing I will not interfere, it is left to him (Kumaraswamy). I have not discussed how many seats will be given to us (JDS) and which are those seats. There are speculations about Mandya, Kolar, Tumakuru among others (from where JDS will field candidates), but it is yet to be decided," he added.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Bihar: Over 150 children fall ill after consuming 'mid-day meal' in Saharsa
Saharsa (PTI): More than 150 children were taken ill after allegedly consuming food that was part of the mid-day meal in a school in Bihar’s Saharsa district, a senior official said on Thursday.
The incident occurred at a middle school in Baluaha village of the district.
The official said that 115 children were undergoing treatment at the Sadar Hospital, while around 50 students were admitted to Mahishi Public Health Centre.
“We received information that several children fell ill after consuming the mid-day meal in Baluaha. The children were initially treated at the primary health centre, but later, many were referred to the Sadar Hospital,” Saharsa District Magistrate Deepesh Kumar told reporters.
“According to doctors, the health condition of the children has improved, but they will be kept under observation for some time. There is no need to panic. Some kids are having mild fever. They are being treated accordingly,” Kumar said.
Meanwhile, family members of some children claimed that a snake was found in the container in which cooked pulses was stored at the school.
Of the 545 students present in the school, 200 had already eaten their meals by the time the snake was spotted, and later complained of stomach ache and vomiting, they said.
Regarding the claims, the DM said food samples have been collected from the school.
“We will be able to comment on this only after the results of the tested samples arrive,” he said.
