No RS berth for Gowda as BJP names Nagaraja

Former Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda's three-decade parliamentary career appears to be over after the BJP declined to renominate him to the Rajya Sabha. The BJP instead selected M Nagaraja for Karnataka's sole winnable seat, effectively closing the door for Gowda's return to Parliament. This decision has ignited political tensions within Karnataka, particularly concerning the BJP's alliance with the Janata Dal (Secular), Gowda's party.

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The BJP and the NDA have insulted the people of Karnataka. No one expected them to betray like this after taking the support of JD(S) and Deve Gowda for passing various Bills in Parliament. People will punish the BJP in the days ahead.

Congress leaders swiftly condemned the BJP's move, portraying it as a significant rebuff to a veteran leader and a betrayal of the JD(S), which had previously supported the BJP in passing legislation. Karnataka Congress president B.K. Hariprasad stated that the BJP and NDA had "insulted the people of Karnataka" and predicted electoral consequences. Randeep Singh Surjewala, the Congress's Karnataka affairs in-charge, echoed these sentiments, calling it "unequal treatment" and highlighting the BJP's alleged "constant humiliation" of the JD(S).

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In the dead of the night, BJP denied a Rajya Sabha nomination to former Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda, deciding to choose its state Vice President in charge of district building construction, M Nagaraja, over the former PM.

Surjewala also reminded the public that the Congress had previously supported Gowda's Rajya Sabha nomination after his 2019 Lok Sabha defeat. He criticized the JD(S) leadership, particularly H.D. Kumaraswamy, for accepting such "insults" for the sake of a ministerial position. The Congress leaders argued that the BJP's decision to prioritize its state vice president over the former prime minister demonstrated a sole focus on "power at any cost."

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The constant humiliation heaped upon JD(S) by BJP and its leadership and its repeated acceptance by H.D. Kumaraswamy merely for sticking to a ministerial chair at any cost is highly astonishing and eye opening. Furthermore, accepting this insult is an absolute extreme.

The BJP, however, has dismissed claims that Gowda was overlooked due to internal deliberations. BY Vijayendra, the party's Karnataka president, indicated that the decision followed internal discussions, without elaborating further. The situation highlights the complex political dynamics and potential friction within the BJP-JD(S) alliance in Karnataka.

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Now the BJP has denied a Rajya Sabha nomination to Gowda, choosing its leader over the former PM. This tells us that power at any cost, power at all costs, is the one and only motto of JD(S) in Karnataka now.