Family tussle for political supremacy comes to forefront

Bengaluru: The family tussle between former Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda and Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar has come to the forefront in state politics yet again ahead of the Lok Sabha election.

Both families are vying for supremacy in state politics and see each other as competitors. Bengaluru Rural Congress candidate D.K. Suresh, who is also the brother of Shivakumar, said on Friday in Ramanagara that Deve Gowda’s family has been spreading enmity and hatred against Shivakumar’s family for a long time.

“It is not a recent phenomenon. They (Deve Gowda’s family) issued statements with an intention of always playing politics. They are doing politics at every stage,” Suresh alleged.

“However, we (Suresh, Shivakumar) do not have that kind of hatred. We have given support and cooperation in the interest of the society and development. If they (Deve Gowda’s family) are trying to analyse in a different manner, I can’t give answers,” he added. “The leadership of the Vokkaliga community does not belong to anyone. Shivakumar does not have any such feelings in this regard. He had only highlighted that former Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy had gone to a Vokkaliga seer with those who conspired to bring him down from power. Vokkaligas are people with self-respect. They will take a wise decision,” Suresh added.

The fight is ongoing in Karnataka between Shivakumar and Deve Gowda’s son Kumaraswamy to take up the former’s place to get close to the Chief Ministerial post in the state.

Shivakumar has emerged as a Vokkaliga face from the Congress and is all set to stake claim for the Chief Minister’s post after the Lok Sabha election in Karnataka.

Following the Congress projecting Shivakumar as a probable Chief Ministerial candidate, the party had registered a thumping victory in the 2018 Assembly election.

Deve Gowda’s family suffered a setback after his defeat in the 2019 general election from the Tumakuru Parliamentary seat. The JD (S) was able to win only 19 seats during the 2023 Assembly election.

Kumaraswamy, who is contesting Lok Sabha polls from the Mandya seat, had said that Shivakumar was associated with rowdy Kotwal Ramachandra before entering politics and time has come for the people to remove him from power as the Deputy Chief Minister.

Shivakumar had said that all three NDA candidates from JD(S) will face defeat, including C.N. Manjunath, Gowda’s son-in-law, who is contesting as a BJP candidate from the Bengaluru Rural Lok Sabha constituency against Congress leader D.K. Suresh.