'Deve Gowda never allowed others to grow': Congress leader Siddaramaiah

Bengaluru: Reacting to Deve Gowda’s pricky comments on Thursday, Siddaramaiah said, “Deve Gowda and I have campaigned in many constituencies. He blamed me for his and his grandson's loss in elections, then he should tell me why our candidates lost. What are the reasons behind it? Did they take any action against those who voted against us?”

He continued to say, “Deve Gowda never allowed someone else to grow. They don't even let people from their own caste grow. I have friends in all castes and in all parties.”

“I have clearly said that without taking Siddaramaiah, who was Chief Minister for five years, into confidence Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi all of a sudden came and said Kumaraswamy is the next Chief Minister, it was their wrong decision," Gowda told reporters on Thursday.

He was referring to his interview to a newspaper in which he had held Siddaramiah responsible for the collapse of the government last month, but in remarks made on Wednesday did not name Siddaramaiah.

The coalition government collapsed on July 22 after the confidence motion moved Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy was defeated in the Assembly, bringing to an end his 14-month long turbulent tenure marked by dissidence within the Congress.