Bengaluru: Congress president Rahul Gandhi once again on Monday took a dig at former PM HD Deve Gowda's party JD(S), calling it "Janata Dal Sangh Parivar". He also asked its leaders to make it clear where they stand in the Karnataka elections, which he termed as a battle of ideologies.
"One side is BJP, on the other side is the Congress party and in between is Janata Dal (Secular). The question is in this battle of ideologies, where does the JD(S) stand," he asked.
Rahul further said at a rally in Devanahalli, "In their JD(S) name there is S that stands for secular. But in this election, it looks like Janata Dal has changed its name and Janata Dal(S) means Janata Dal Sangh Parivar."
He added, "Are they truly secular, or in this election are they supporting BJP, Yeddyurappa, Narendra Modi and Amit Shah? They have to make it clear. Janata Dal leaders have to tell whether they are on this side or that side, because this is not any other election, this election is about Karnataka's future. This is the election to save Basavanna's thinking (12th-century social reformer).
Earlier, on March 25, 2018, too, Rahul had asked JD(S) to come clean on its support to the BJP. "JD(S), they have to make it clear whether they are the BJP's B team or not. They (JD-S) have to make it clear whether they are supporting the BJP, if yes, why," he had asked at a public meeting in the Vokkaliga belt of the old Mysuru region, considered a JD(S) stronghold.
And, on March 24, 2018, the Congress chief had dubbed JD(S) a 'B-team' of the BJP. He had then also said that the Assembly elections in the southern state were a face-off between two ideologies - on one side BJP and RSS and on the other the Congress. "In between, there is the third party which is the B team of BJP that is JD(S)," he had said at a public rally in Malavalli in Mandya district.
"I will tell you. Let BJP's A team, B team or C team come together. Congress party is going to win this election," Rahul had told the gathering.
(With PTI inputs)
