BENGALURU: Former Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda has issued a strong and detailed rebuttal to Leader of Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge following a sarcastic remark made in the Rajya Sabha, reigniting a political debate over past alliances between the Congress and the Janata Dal (Secular).
Kharge, who is also president of the Indian National Congress, during his farewell speech to outgoing members, had quipped, “I have known Deve Gowda for 54 years. He loved us, but the marriage happened with Modi.” The comment, made in a lighter vein, drew smiles in the House, including from Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
However, Deve Gowda’s response—issued as a written statement—was anything but light. Adopting the same metaphor, the veteran leader said his association with the Congress was never a partnership of choice. “If I were to respond in the same language of marriage, I would say I was in a ‘forced marriage’ with the Congress but had to ‘divorce’ them because it was an abusive relationship,” he stated.
Clarifying that he was not present in the Rajya Sabha when Kharge made the remark, Deve Gowda said he had travelled to Bengaluru to participate in Ugadi celebrations. He nevertheless chose to respond publicly, indicating that the comment touched a deeper political nerve rooted in past events.
My dear friend Shri. @kharge made a humorous comment in parliament today on my “love” for @INCIndia and “marriage” with @BJP4India. I was not there in the House when he spoke. Here’s my response both lighthearted and factual on why I was forced to “divorce” the Congress @PMOIndia pic.twitter.com/qPK95FUxip
— H D Devegowda (@H_D_Devegowda) March 18, 2026
At the heart of Deve Gowda’s rebuttal is the 2018 Karnataka coalition between the Congress and the Janata Dal Secular. He recalled that during the formation of the government, he had proposed Kharge’s name for the post of Chief Minister. “In the presence of everyone, I said Shri Kharge should be made Chief Minister,” he noted, adding that senior leaders, including Siddaramaiah, were present during the discussion.
However, according to Deve Gowda, the Congress leadership—particularly Ghulam Nabi Azad—insisted that H. D. Kumaraswamy assume the role of Chief Minister. While the coalition government was eventually formed, Deve Gowda suggested that the arrangement was marked by underlying tensions and compromises from the beginning.
He further accused the Congress of failing to uphold the alliance during the political crisis of 2019, which saw multiple MLAs defect, leading to the سقوط of the coalition government. “After all this song, dance and a wedding, what did they do in 2019? They dumped us,” he remarked, using sharp language to describe what he termed as betrayal by the Congress.
Deve Gowda also made a pointed observation that the Congress leadership did not act decisively against those responsible for engineering defections. “If Congress had acted against the person who instigated defection that day, my friend Kharge would be in a better position today,” he said, indirectly linking past political decisions to present leadership dynamics within the party.
Rejecting Kharge’s suggestion that he had abandoned the Congress, Deve Gowda asserted that the reality was quite the opposite. “I did not desert the alliance. It is they who walked away. They left me with no choice but to ‘divorce’ them and seek a more stable arrangement,” he emphasised.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Modi, while addressing the House, struck a more statesmanlike tone, praising senior leaders, including Deve Gowda, Kharge, and Sharad Pawar, for their decades-long contributions to parliamentary democracy. He urged newly elected MPs to learn from their experience and dedication to public service.
