Former Prime Minister and Janata Dal (Secular) chief H.D. Deve Gowda has extended his support towards TMC chief Mamata Banerjee and BSP supremo Mayawati as the Prime ministerial candidates for the upcoming 2019 Lok Sabha elections.
Gowda remarked that though a united opposition front against the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party is still in an “early stage”, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is “trying her best” to form a federal front bringing all the opposition parties together.
He said in an interview to PTI, that Banerjee is putting all her efforts in creating an opposition alliance against the BJP since the draft National Register of Citizens (NRC) which excludes over 40 lakh people has been published.
His remarks favouring Banerjee have come after the sources inside the Congress indicated that the opposition parties have decided to restrict from pitching faces for the prime minister post as that will affect the yet to be formed oppositional front. Congress has also implied that it is ready to accept faces for the top post from the other opposition parties unless they are not backed by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS).
When asked if he will support Banerjee for the PM face in 2019 general elections, Gowda said, “Most welcome if Mamata is projected as PM. Indira Gandhi ruled as prime minister for 17 years. Why should we [men] alone become PM? Why not Mamata or Mayawati?” He added that in 1996, he lead the women’s reservation bill in the Parliament, so he is not averse to the idea of having a woman Prime Minister.
He praised his party’s Karnataka ally Congress with which JD(S) is ruling in the state and said that Congress will play a major role in forming a united opposition front to defeat BJP.
Even though his party has yet not made a conscious effort to unite the regional parties against the BJP, he assured JD(S) is ready to support the oppositional front.
Gowda said, “It is because there is a sense of fear in the country. There is a suffocating atmosphere for minorities in States like Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Gujarat. A formidable front is necessary to take on the BJP in 2019.”