Karnataka   

Gowda, Kumaraswamy turn emotional at meet

Staff Reporter

BANGALORE: Karnataka Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy and his father and Janata Dal (Secular) president, H.D. Deve Gowda, were to share the dais at the Karnataka Raju Kshatriya Sangha convention. But Mr. Kumaraswamy arrived at the venue only after his father had left.

The former Prime Minister spoke sadly of the situation that the father and son found themselves in, after Mr. Kumaraswamy decided to join forces with the Bharatiya Janata Party two months ago. "Everyone says I conspired to make my son Chief Minister. Only he is aware of the pain and agony all this has caused me, and that this is what makes me ill," Mr. Gowda, who has still not completely recovered from his illness, said. "My son promised the BJP that he would join them and form the new coalition, and he kept his promise. Only, I, the father, knows now how he is silently suffering because he has been unable to save his father the agony and the illness that is slowly consuming him [Mr. Gowda]," Mr. Gowda said, stoutly defending his son.

"Dynasty building or filial feelings come last with me, and what has happened is God's will. I choose to believe Bhishma's dictum — never blame anyone or hate anyone for what happens." That his son abandoned him to go with the communal BJP is a "vamshada kalanka" (an indelible blot on the family), he said, and he would never come to terms with what has happened.

Several minutes after he left, Mr. Kumaraswamy's arrival was announced, and it was his turn to speak in a sentimental vein. "It pains me to see the lion's roar, which was characteristic of my father, now turn into a whimper. I know his ill-health is because of the disappointment over the events of the past two months," Mr. Kumaraswamy said.

At pains to explain that he had not arrived late to avoid meeting his father, Mr. Kumaraswamy took a mild dig at the media, saying, "Tomorrow, you will write that I was two hours late. But I have good reason. I was in Puttenahalli, to inspect the havoc caused by last year's rains, and the tank that has been encroached, to acquaint myself with the problems of the residents."

"However, I know that I will regret all my life that I lost this first opportunity to share the dais with my father," he said. He promised the Kshatriya community that as soon as the budget was behind him, he would set to work on their demand for internal reservation. Despite everything, his father's ideals and motivations continued to be a priority with him, and he would do his best to make up for all the pain caused to his father. Implementing some of the promises that he made would be just one way, he said.

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