Daijiworld Media Network-Mysuru (RJP)

Mysuru, Apr 19: Putting a full stop to the rumours that JD(S) will have a pact with Congress for the 2018 Assembly elections, JD(S) Supremo H D Deve Gowda said his party will go it alone and will not have any tie up with the Congress.

Addressing journalists here on Tuesday, April 19, Gowda said “JD(S) has suffered a lot by aligning with the two national parties at different times. We will not repeat the mistake again,”

Only developmental work

“While the Congress is striving to regain its lost ground, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has vowed to begin his Navabharat scheme from Karnataka, by announcing new programmes. ‘Battle of money’ between the two national parties is getting bigger by the day and in this situation, the JD(S) will go to the people with just the developmental works executed during our tenure,” Deve Gowda added.

“As people have seen the 20 months of able administration of H D Kumaraswamy as chief minister, they will support us. People now understand the need for a regional party in Karnataka,” he opined.

No grand alliance

Dismissing the reports that said JD(S) would form a grand alliance on the lines of the one that was constituted in Bihar to defeat the BJP, Gowda said the JD(S) would maintain a safe distance from both the Congress and the BJP.

Secret pact with Congress

Gowda refuted the allegation of state BJP chief B S Yeddyurappa that said JD(S) had entered into a secret pact with the Congress and did not field its candidates in the Assembly by-polls from Nanjangudu and Gundlupet.

“I need not learn the ropes of politics from Yeddyurappa. We did not find it right to spend money for a term of just 10 months. Both the national parties have spent crores through backdoors. We are not in a position to compete with them.” Gowda said.

When asked about possible induction of former MP A H Vishwanath from Congress into the JD(S), Deve Gowda chose to remain silent.