Modi dig at Gowda: Come to Gujarat, I am like your son

mangaloretoday.com/ DHNS

Chikmagalur/Chikkaballapur, April 13, 2014, DHNS: Taking a dig at former prime minister H D Deve Gowda, BJP’s prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi on Sunday invited the JD(S) supremo to live in Gujarat should he leave the State.

Taking a dig at former prime minister H D Deve Gowda, BJP’s prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi on Sunday invited the JD(S) supremo to live in Gujarat should he leave the State.

 

On Saturday, Gowda had said he would quit politics and leave Karnataka if a Modi-led government came to power. In a quick reply, Modi promised to take care of Gowda more than his sons.

“Deve Gowdaji, you are an elderly person. You are the former prime minister. I am like your son,” Modi said during the election rallies in Chikmagalur and Chikkaballapur.

“I promise you that if living here becomes a problem for you, I will make all arrangements for you in Gujarat. If you want to live in old-age home, in a house, farm-house or even my house. You tell me where you want to live, I will take care of you more than your sons.

“Narendra Modi will do everything to give you respect and honour. Just remember that you also have a son in Gujarat who is ready to look after you,” the Gujarat chief minister said.

Gowda on Sunday said the people of the State have shown a lot of love and affection towards him and his family, and he would not leave the State.

“You first provide shelter and security to people of all castes in your state,” Gowda said in a reply to Modi’s invite to Gujarat.

Clarifying further, Gowda said in Hassan he had stated that if the BJP wins more than 276 seats on its own strength in the Lok Sabha polls, he would quit politics (Rajakiya) and not quit the State (Rajya).

He reaffirmed that he is committed to his earlier statements. However, he refused to comment on the contents of the book written by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s former media adviser Sanjaya Baru, which says Singh was a puppet in the hands of Sonia Gandhi.