Controversy Erupts Over Exclusion of Deve Gowda and Kumaraswamy from Kempe Gowda Jayanthi Invitations

Controversy Erupts Over Exclusion of Deve Gowda and Kumaraswamy from Kempe Gowda Jayanthi Invitations

The Congress government in Karnataka has sparked controversy by excluding former Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda and Union Minister for Heavy Industries and Steel H.D. Kumaraswamy from the invitations for the Kempe Gowda Jayanthi celebrations. The decision has drawn criticism from various political quarters.

Reacting to the development in Delhi, Kumaraswamy stated on Wednesday, “Kempe Gowda does not belong to anyone. He belongs to the state. I got to know that our names were dropped from the invitation. I won’t give much importance to it. I will not make an issue out of my name not being mentioned in the invitations anytime.”

Kumaraswamy highlighted his contributions to Bengaluru during his tenure as chief minister. “I have contributed to the growth of Bengaluru city during my tenure as chief minister twice. I will do things that will bring honour to Kempe Gowda. If they include my name now, it is not possible for me to attend the event. Tomorrow, the President is addressing both Houses of Parliament, and I need to be present here. I will pay my respects from here,” he said.

Kempe Gowda Jayanthi is celebrated in various ways, with Kempe Gowda’s photo kept and worshipped in homes. “The world is talking about Bengaluru city, and Kempe Gowda is behind it. The lakes built by him in Bengaluru are encroached upon; they need to be saved,” Kumaraswamy noted. He also urged the government to save lakes and make use of rainwater, stating, “If this is done, I will salute the government.”

BJP state president B.Y. Vijayendra commented in Delhi, stating that one cannot become a community leader by cunningness and conspiracy. “The people of the community will not agree to this. We were successful in the Lok Sabha election. We don’t have sympathies for the Congress party, but we have sympathies for the people of the state,” he said.

Kempe Gowda, a revered figure from the Vokkaliga community, is the founder of Bengaluru city. The government celebrates his birth anniversary every year on June 27. This year, the Congress government is marking Kempe Gowda Jayanthi with significant fanfare. The decision to exclude prominent Vokkaliga leaders Deve Gowda and Kumaraswamy has been widely criticized.

Sources suggest that Deputy Chief Minister and Karnataka Congress president D.K. Shivakumar, who also hails from the Vokkaliga community, aims to project himself as the face of this influential community and may have influenced the decision to omit the names of Deve Gowda and Kumaraswamy.