“I sat alone in the Prime Minister’s Office & wept”

see how the national parties are destroying regional outfits

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H.D. Deve Gowda was the third choice for Prime Minister when the United Front was formed in 1996, coming in only after V.P. Singh refused and the CPI(M) said no to Jyoti Basu. When his government fell, it was seen as the end of Gowda. Now he’s back, shaping the contours of the south’s only government between a secular party, the Janata Dal (Secular) and the Bharatiya Janata Party, in Karnataka. In a candid interview with The Sunday Indian, the former Prime Minister reveals what really happened…

Q:The BJP is trying to stoke religious sentiments in Karnataka by taking out the Shobha Yatra...

The JD(S) will not be party to such fanatical programmes which will cause rift between the two communities.

Q:After the recent allegations of property fraud against Kumaraswamy, you and other members of your family are being accused of similar activities.

A particular newspaper had been targeting me since the day I became the Prime Minister. The Karnataka government has set up a commission of inquiry and everything will be clear in a couple of months. The financial dealings of my family members are transparent. I and my family are open to any kind of investigation.

Q: Controversies seem to follow you.

True. When I took over as Prime Minister, a book was published calling me ‘King of Corruption’. The then union government had filed a defamation case against the author and the publishers. So you see, I have always been the target. The so-called secular leader Ramakrishna Hegde (he is no more now) also had Prime Ministerial aspirations. When I took charge, Hegde ridiculed me by saying that in this country, even a “man who cannot read the map of India can become Prime Minister.” There have always been people who tried to defame me and my family. Q:Were you desperate to be PM?

Do you know how I became the Prime Minister? I did not lobby for it. Initially, the so-called secular leaders, Jyoti Basu, Harkishen Singh Surjeet, A.B. Bardhan, D.Raja, Sitaram Yechury, Chandrababu Naidu, M. Karunanidhi, Lalu Yadav, Mulayam Singh and the leaders of the RSP and Forward Bloc, held a meeting and opted for V.P. Singh. V.P. Singh made us wait for two days. And as we kept waiting outside his bungalow, V.P. sent a message from somewhere in Noida that he was not interested. Jyoti Basu then emerged as the consensus candidate but the CPI(M) Politburo rejected the offer. Basu proposed my name. I was not keen. All the leaders pleaded.

Q:So you agreed?

As they waited outside my room in Karnataka Bhavan, I decided to consult my wife. She started crying. She asked me not to accept the post. “They will ditch you. They had ditched Chandrashekhar and V.P. Singh,” she kept weeping.

Q:Prophetic words, weren’t they?

While I was speaking to my wife, P. Chidambaram knocked at my door. He said, “The leaders are waiting for your answer. Please don’t humiliate them further. Please accept the offer.” I had no option.

Q:Coming back to the present, finally your son Kumaraswamy joined hands with BJP.

Yes. He did it without my approval. But probably he wanted to save the party. Both the Congress and the BJP were trying to destroy my JD(S).

Q:You were in a coalition government with the Congress.

The Congress decided on Dharam Singh as the Chief Minister. Immediately, Singh started targeting me and my party. For months he did not expand the Cabinet. The Congress was trying to split my party. They launched a hate campaign against me.

Q:Do you foresee the rise of a Third Front in the near future?

Just look at how all these national parties are destroying the regional outfits. Telangana Rashtra Samithi in Andhra Pradesh is virtually destroyed. They wanted to split my party also. The moment my son realised this, he did what he did. It was to save the party. Q:Did the BJP ask you or did they deal directly with your son?

Vajpayee had called me. He asked me to join hands with the BJP since the Congress was trying to split my party. I politely turned down the offer. I wanted a mid-term poll in the state. My MLAs were against the idea. They persuaded my son to join hands with the BJP.

Q:Are you satisfied?

Now, some months after an understanding was reached, some of the top BJP leaders have started a campaign against me and my family. All their allegations are fabricated. One specific newspaper has also joined the gang.

Q:You believe in astrology…

I believe in God. Whenever I feel perturbed, I go to a temple and sit.

Q:Do your stars say you can become the Prime Minister again?

I don’t want to talk about this. My first job is to save my party. Also, I am for the total protection of the minorities in the country. I have no ambition in Delhi. I don’t want to approach anyone. I want to save my party.

Q:How come you were dropped like a hot brick when you were PM?

I am from South India; from the backward community. What can I do? I can’t indulge in evil to destroy my enemies. I believe in what Gandhiji said: “Truth is God.”

Q:What is the truth?

To cut a long story short, when Sitaram Kesri (the Congress President when Gowda was PM) wanted me out, the secular leaders held a meeting. The night before the final showdown, these non-BJP and non-Congress leaders came to my residence and assured me – “We are with you. We will go for elections.” Q:What happened then?

Next morning, the House (in Parliament) was expected to carry out a vote of confidence. The same leaders rushed to me and wanted me to resign. “We want to continue this government, you please resign,” they told me. I was stunned. But I asked them not to worry. I made it clear that I don’t want to stay in the post even for a minute. After they left, I sat alone in the Prime Minister’s office in Parliament and wept.

Q:So you were betrayed?

These leaders held another meeting at Andhra Bhavan and decided not to participate in the confidence vote. Balwant Singh Ramoowalia (former union minister) rushed to Surjeet who was sleeping and, therefore, unaware of the developments. Immediately Surjeet went to Andhra Bhavan. He was angry and blasted these leaders. He said, “You cannot do this to a man who trusted us.” Later, these leaders came to me and said that they would participate in the confidence vote. I shall always remember the role played by comrade Surjeet.

Q:What is your future plan of action? Apart from saving your party…

All autonomous institutions are being demolished. Today not a single institution can function without fear. I am watching the present leadership.

Q:Time for you to step in to save India?

What can I do? Let somebody else take charge. I am hurt, sir. I am a small South Indian. God must make them realise the mistakes they are committing. Self-realisation is the need of the hour.