Was in a 'forced, abusive marriage' with Congress, ex-PM Gowda hits back at Kharge over ‘love’ jibe

Former Prime Minister and Janata Dal (Secular) supremo, HD Deve Gowda on Wednesday claimed that he was in a ‘forced marriage’ with the Congress but had to ‘divorce’ the national party because it was an "abusive relationship".

Gowda issued a statement in response to remarks earlier in the Rajya Sabha by Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge, who bid farewell to retiring members.

Gowda, the JD(S) patriarch, addressed to his “dear and longtime friend” Kharge, over his ‘light-hearted comment’ in Parliament about the JD-U chief having been "marrying" Modi Sahab (BJP) despite being in "love" with the Congress all his life.

Deve Gowda said he was not in the House when Kharge spoke, as he had to leave for Bengaluru to attend the Ugadi celebrations on Thursday.

"If I were to respond to my friend in the same language of marriage, I would like to say that I was in a 'forced marriage' with the Congress but had to 'divorce' them because it was an abusive relationship," he said, in a statement on 'X'.

Kharge, who is also the Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha, recalled his association with Deve Gowda, who he said served as the Prime Minister and held several important positions.

"I have known Devegowda for a long time – 54 years – and have worked with him. But I do not know what happened. He fell in love with us, but married Modi sahab (Prime Minister Narendra Modi)," Kharge said in Rajya Sabha, visuals of which were aired in local media. The analogy made the Prime Minister, who was present in the Rajya Sabha, laugh.

Gowda reminded Kharge that in 2018, the Congress had sent its leader, Ghulam Nabi Azad, and offered HD Kumaraswamy the chief minister's post.

"I did not consent to this…. I told in everybody's presence that Kharge should be made Chief Minister. Siddaramaiah was also there. However, Azad insisted on Kumaraswamy's leadership. But after all this song, dance and a wedding what did they do in 2019? They dumped us. How many Congress MLAs defected to the BJP and who sent them across is now common knowledge," Gowda said.

The former PM said that if Congress had acted against the person who instigated defection that day, "today my friend, Kharge, would be in a better position as AICC President."

Gowda and Kharge are prominent political leaders from Karnataka. Gowda, a former Prime Minister, was born in Hassan district, Karnataka, while Kharge, a senior Congress leader, was born in Bidar district, Karnataka.

Gowda was the Prime Minister for less than a year after the 1996 Lok Sabha polls. The Congress supported the United Front government led by Gowda. Gowda's JDS tied up with the Congress in Karnataka for the 2018 state polls, and the alliance won. Gowda's son, HD Kumaraswamy, became Chief Minister, but the state government collapsed in 2019 after several Congress and JDS MLAs rebelled.

"So to put the record straight, I did not desert the Congress alliance. It is they who walked away. They left me with no choice but to "divorce" them and seek a more stable alliance," Gowda claimed.

(With agency inputs)