Karnataka - Belgaum   

`Deve Gowda's biggest mistake was to trust the Congress'

Staff Correspondent

The Congress should be a good Opposition, says Revanna

H.D. Revanna

Belgaum: The former Prime Minister and Janata Dal (S) president H.D. Deve Gowda made the "biggest mistake" in his life by placing trust in the Congress, said H.D. Revanna, Minister for Public Works and Energy.

Talking to presspersons here on Wednesday, he said the Congress had a history of "cheating and backstabbing" to suit its political conveniences. The people of the country still remembered how the Congress pulled the rug from under the feet of former Prime Ministers Chandrashekhar and Charan Singh over petty reasons. They also remembered how the V.P. Singh Government at the Centre was brought down, he said. It was again the Congress that had pulled down the Deve Gowda Government at the Centre, he added.

He said the Congress could not digest its role of playing the Opposition as it had tasted power for long. The Congress should gracefully accept the reality and be a good and constructive Opposition, he advised.

On the bribery charges against the family members of Mr. Deve Gowda, he said the Congress was aghast after losing power and had resorted to levelling such charges. He advised the Congress to submit its charges of corruption or any other irregularity in a proper manner. They should give notice to the Speaker seeking permission to raise the subject on the floor of the house and debate with hard and concrete evidences instead of airing their grievances through the media. He also criticised the former Deputy Chief Minister Siddaramaiah for joining hands with the Congress. He also condemned the eight legislators of the Janata Dal (S) who had joined Mr. Siddaramaiah and said: "If you are left with any political morality, all of you should first resign your membership of the legislature."

Reacting to Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee president M. Mallikarjun Kharge's challenge thrown at Mr. Deve Gowda to get the Assembly dissolved and seek fresh mandate, Mr. Revanna said though the Janata Dal (S) occupied the third position in the Assembly after the BJP and the Congress, the party had lost nearly 45 Assembly seats by a narrow margin.

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Stories in this Section

`Deve Gowda's biggest mistake was to trust the Congress'

Copyright © 2006, The Hindu. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu