Last Update: March 03, 2023, 13:35 IST
Narayana Gowda, Minister of Sports and Youth Empowerment. (Twitter)
The minister was one of the rebel MLAs who left the JD(S) to join the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in 2019, breaking the JD(S) and Congress coalition government in Karnataka.
Ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Karnataka’s Vokkaliga bastion Mandya on March 12 to woo voters, speculation is rife whether Karnataka minister Narayana Gowda Play and Youth Empowerment, will join Congress from KR Peet constituency in the district.
Gowda has said that the Congress lacks leaders and hence is inviting them, but has not taken a decision yet.
“When a house is empty and there is no leader, obviously they will call. It is true that they are calling, but I have not taken any decision. My leaders and my people have helped me win, so I have to talk to them,” Gowda said.
The minister was one of the rebel MLAs who left the JD(S) to join the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in 2019, breaking the JD(S) and Congress coalition government in Karnataka.
The JD(S) has now alleged that Gowda had joined the BJP only to become a minister and has now realized that he will lose against the JD(S) candidate.
JD(S) spokesperson TR Prasad Gowda urged the Congress not to include them.
TR Prasad Gowda said, “He left JD(S) to join BJP. He did this just to become a minister but now he has realized that he will not be able to win against our candidate in KR Pete. I want to tell the Congress not to take him because he will lose the election anyway.
Last month, a video of Gowda’s speech from the KR Pete program went viral, in which he refrained from criticizing Siddaramaiah.
“We are members of various political parties, but seek votes for my party only during the election season. I will not criticize any political officer, I promise,” Gowda had said.
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