Deve Gowda, Parameshwara address joint pressmeet amid rebellion in Tumkur Congress

Bengaluru, Mar 25: Senior Congress and JDS leaders put up a united front in the face of rebellion by sitting Congress MP over former PM HD Deve Gowda's nomination from Tumkur Lok Sabha seat.

After filing nomination, Deve Gowda, said, "I've worked as Lok Sabha MP for 29 years, that's why I had said I won't contest elections. I had decided to make sure Prajwal Revanna contests from Hassan. Farooq Abdullah, Mamata Banerjee, Ghulam Nabi Azad and many leaders, including my friends,suggested me to contest."

"I know when we took this decision it might have hurt the sitting MP from Tumkur SP Muddahanumegowda. I don't want to hurt him, Congress leaders conveyed everything to him...I chose to contest from Tumkur on the demand of many Congress and JD(S) leaders," said Deve Gowda.

Congress gave CM seat to us even when we won 37 seats. With support of Rahul Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi we formed govt here. I'll campaign everywhere in state. I'll also go to Andhra, Chandrababu Naidu also invited me. We're secular parties, wherever required I'll go.

G Parameshwara, Deputy CM and MLA from Koratgere assembly seat in Tumkur district, called the contest of Deve Gowda from Tumkur 'a historical day'.

He said, "It's a historical day as far as Tumkur is concerned. One of the senior most leaders of the nation, who made Kannadigas proud, who was elected many times from Hassan and was also the CM, HD Deve Gowda ji, is contesting from here."

Parameshwara said that Tumkur was ceded to JDS on the suggestion of Rahul Gandhi. He said, "Rahul Gandhi suggested us to give Tumkur to JD(S), after joint discussions. We obeyed the decision. We didn't expect that Deve Gowda ji would decide to contest from here, so it's a great news for us. I assure people of Tumkur will make sure he wins."