Former Karnataka Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy on Wednesday, November 27 broke into tears during a public meeting at Kikkeri village in Mandya district asking why his son was defeated in the 2019 parliamentary polls. Kumaraswamy's son and JD(S) supremo H D Deve Gowda's grandson Nikhil was defeated by Mandya by actress and popular Kannada film star Ambareesh, Sumalatha Ambareesh, who fought as an independent candidate.
I don't need politics, I don't want the Chief Minister's post. I just want your love. I don't know why my son lost - H D Kumaraswamy, Former Karnataka Chief Minister
Kumaraswamy lamenting his son's loss said, "I don't need politics, don't want the CM post. I just want your love. I don't know why my son lost. I didn't want him to contest from Mandya but my own people from Mandya wanted him but didn't support him which hurt me"
Did People of Mandya desert Kumaraswamy?
Campaigning for Janata Dal-Secular candidate B. L. Devaraju, who is contesting the December 5 by-election, Kumaraswamy complained that the people of Mandya have deserted him and recalled that he did not want his son to contest the election in Mandya but had to do so only the insistence of the people. During the speech, Kumaraswamy was repeatedly seen wiping his tears with a handkerchief.
In July this year, 17 MLAs were disqualified by Kumar based on the complaint of Congress and JD(S) after their absence and resignation from the assembly during the trust vote leading to the collapse of then H D Kumaraswamy-led government.
After the court allowed the disqualified MLAs to contest the polls, the BJP fielded Gowda from the same seat. In a choked voice and wiping his tears repeatedly with his handkerchief, Kumaraswamy said, "I am not crying because of losing power but it is only the expression of the pain I have gone through. What wrong I have done to the people of the state?" Kumaraswamy said he was not worried about his son losing the election but was anguished that the people of Mandya, whom he trusted the most, deserted him.
#WATCH JD(S) leader HD Kumaraswamy breaks down, in Mandya. Says "...I don't need politics, don't want CM post.I just want your love.I don't know why my son lost.I didn't want him to contest from Mandya but my own people from Mandya wanted him but didn't support him which hurt me" pic.twitter.com/reyhIsttPN
— ANI (@ANI) November 27, 2019
"The post of the chief minister is nothing for me. I need your love and affection and nothing else," said Kumaraswamy before bursting into tears. The JD(S) leader said he was in politics only to serve the poor and downtrodden.
Explaining the circumstances in which he was made the chief minister for 14 months, the former chief minister said Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi had compelled him to take up the role when the 2018 Assembly elections threw up a hung assembly. "However, the 14 months tenure was not an easy one. To tell you the truth, I neither worked peacefully from day one, nor had proper sleep," Kumaraswamy told the crowd.
(With inputs from wires)
