MYSURU (ENS):  The Janata Dal (Secular) on Sunday blew the poll bugle in Karnataka by appealing to the voters to reject both the national parties (Congress and BJP) and to give it an absolute majority to bring back the golden era in the state.

Addressing a mammoth convention organised to mark the valedictory of the JDS’ pancharatna yatra on the outskirts of Mysuru,  senior JDS leader and former chief minister HD Kumaraswamy said that the state will see an election result similar to 1994 when HD Deve Gowda became the CM with an absolute majority.

Kumaraswamy said that the old Mysuru region had given the party 74 MLAs in 1994 and claimed that the same story will repeat in 2023 to help the party achieve the target of winning 123 seats. “You may give me 50 seats. But, I want 123 seats to provide a five-year government  to put the state on the development track and empower farmers,” he said.

He said that the prevailing political situation in Kolar and Chikkabalapura districts will give JDS an edge in 10 seats and the party will sweep all the seats in Tumakuru district. He said people of Mandya, Mysuru, and Hassan will continue to support Gowda’s leadership “who strived all his life for the empowerment of farmers, the poor, the Dalits”.

Taking a dig at Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s frequent visits to Karnataka,  Kumaraswamy questioned what stopped the former from visiting the state when farmers committed suicide and when people were hit by floods. “It is unfortunate that the PM did not visit the family of a single farmer who ended his life,” he claimed.

He also said Swachh Bharat Abhiyan was a mere slogan as open defecation was still rampant in north Karnataka. Alleging irregularities in recruitment of PSIs and in other departments, the former CM urged voters not to believe BJP central leaders flooding the state making promises ahead of polls. The JD(S) leader pulled up CLP leader Siddaramaiah for taking credit for several baghyas (schemes).

Listing out the party’s pancharatna assurances of  50% profit to farmers, free education, health coverage, and other benefits to people, he said that they will mobilise Rs 2.5 lakh crore to implement the programmes that are chalked out by him and not by economists or foreign experts.

Recalling the contributions of HD Deve Gowda to complete irrigation projects in North Karnataka and taking Hemavathi waters to Mandya and Tumakuru districts, Kumaraswamy said that people of Punjab have named one of the varieties of paddy after the JDS supremo but the national parties did not have the courtesy to remember his contributions.  He also said that he waived farm loans during the coalition government despite opposition from the Congress.