HD Deve Gowda backs Rahul as prime ministerial candidate but there is room for improvement

Bengaluru, Jan 14: Former Prime Minister and Janata Dal (Secular) leader HD Deve Gowda backed Rahul Gandhi as the prime ministerial candidate but he feels that Gandhi shouldn't be using slogans such as "Chowkidaar chor hai".

According to a report by Hindustan Times, Deve Gowda said the Congress president should refrain from saying 'chowkidar chor hai' (the watchman is a thief), referring to the slogan used by the Congress president to attack Prime Minister Narendra Modi over alleged corruption issues. Nobody should use language that hurts the office of the prime minister.

The 86-year-old the Janata Dal (Secular) patriarch said: "Rahul Gandhi is a young, upcoming leader. He was made president of the Congress a year back. From then, I have seen the quantum of experience he has gained, but there is room for improvement. As a coalition partner, here I have no hesitation in extending my support. We want Rahul to be PM."

Talking about the current Union government's achievements, he said: "He has announced several programmes, but have they percolated to the common man? Make in India, Digital India, Skill India - so many programmes. I am not going to say they are all bad; but there is a vast difference in the quantum of publicity and the quantum of real ground-level benefit."

Deve Gowda agreed the reservation for upper castes was the BJP's desperation showing. "Till the last minute, not even an additional agenda was brought, but they introduced the bill. Everybody was scared, why?" he questioned.