Speaking about his party's alliance with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Janata Dal (Secular) chief HD Deve Gowda today said his party was not power-hungry and the decision to ally with the BJP for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections was taken after consultation with his party colleagues.
Addressing a press conference, Deve Gowda said that he had not met Prime Minister Narendra Modi and that he had met Home Minister Amit Shah for the first time in the last 10 years. He said he had explained to Union Home Minister Amit Shah the political situation in Karnataka at length. Deve Gowda also said there is nothing for anyone to fear, as in 50 years of political struggle, he had not let injustice happen to any community from this party. On the decision to join hands with the BJP, JD(S) chief said ‘Even before taking the decision, I discussed with all the 19 MLAs and 8 MLCs and took their opinions. All of them said 'you should think of having an understanding with the BJP’.
Last Friday, the Janata Dal (Secular) joined the BJP-led NDA to take on the Congress party in Karnataka in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. The alliance was formalised after a meeting of its leader and former Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy of Karnataka (Gowda's son) with Home Minister Amit Shah and BJP national president J P Nadda in New Delhi. The two parties are likely to announce the seat-sharing formula after the Dussehra festival next month.