Former Prime Minister H. D. Deve Gowda on Tuesday described his party’s past alliance with the Indian National Congress as a troubled partnership, responding sharply to a light-hearted remark made by Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge in the Rajya Sabha.

Kharge had jokingly said that the Janata Dal (Secular) had once been close to the Congress but ultimately aligned with Narendra Modi’s camp, prompting laughter in the House.

Gowda’s rebuttal

In a detailed post on social media, Deve Gowda rejected the comparison, saying the alliance had been more of a “forced” arrangement that eventually broke down due to internal strain.

He revisited the events of 2018–19, when the Congress and JD(S) came together to form a government in Karnataka, with his son H. D. Kumaraswamy as Chief Minister.

Rift and collapse of alliance

Gowda claimed he had initially preferred Kharge as Chief Minister, but the leadership decision went in favour of Kumaraswamy after consultations involving senior Congress leaders like Ghulam Nabi Azad and Siddaramaiah.

The coalition, however, fell apart in 2019 after several legislators resigned, leading to the government losing its majority. The political turmoil eventually paved the way for the Bharatiya Janata Party to form the government under B. S. Yediyurappa.

Blame game continues

While the BJP was accused by rivals of engineering defections—often referred to as “Operation Lotus”—the JD(S) also pointed fingers at internal dissent within the Congress, particularly from leaders opposed to the alliance.

Shift in political alignment

Following the collapse of the coalition, relations between the JD(S) and Congress deteriorated further. Ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, the JD(S) formally joined the National Democratic Alliance.

Gowda’s remarks have once again brought the 2019 Karnataka episode back into focus, underlining continuing political friction between former allies.