The Hindu : Deve Gowda urged to contest from Hassan

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Mar 23, 2004

Karnataka

Karnataka

Deve Gowda urged to contest from Hassan

By Our Staff Correspondent

HASSAN, MARCH 22. Sensing the disinclination of the former Prime Minister and President of Janata Dal (S), H.D. Deve Gowda, to contest from the Hassan parliamentary constituency, party workers in the district are mounting pressure on him not to back down.

A party workers' meeting organised by the district unit of the party here today unanimously passed a resolution urging Mr. Deve Gowda to contest from Hassan. When K.S. Lingesh, newly appointed President of district unit of the party, tabled the resolution, the workers supported it unanimously.

Senior party leaders who attended the meeting to felicitate the newly appointed Vice-President of the State Unit, Patel Shivaram; the Secretary, Manjunatha Datta; Mr. Lingesh; and member of the party's Parliamentary Board, M.G. Dodde Gowda, urged Mr. Deve Gowda to contest from Hassan.

Addressing the gathering, H.K. Javare Gowda, Rajya Sabha member, said if Mr. Deve Gowda was apprehensive of being tied down to the constituency, he need not worry as the party workers would take the responsibility of getting him elected with a huge margin. "Let Mr. Deve Gowda file his nomination papers and campaign for the party candidates in other constituencies in the State. It is the responsibility of the party workers to send him to Parliament."

Criticising the BJP and the Congress, Mr. Javare Gowda claimed that the Janata Dal (S) was the only party that was concerned about the problems of farmers.

The former Minister and son of Mr. Deve Gowda, H.D. Revanna, said that the BJP and the Congress were afraid of the growing popularity of Mr. Deve Gowda, which was why they had not named candidates for the Hassan and the Kanakapura Lok Sabha constituencies, from either one of which Mr. Deve Gowda was expected to contest.

He said that by electing an ordinary party worker from the Hassan parliamentary constituency, the workers should prove that the party was united in the district. However, he said he would be happy if Mr. Deve Gowda decided to contest from Hassan.

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