JD(S) party is not worried about the next Lok Sabha elections, said Deve Gowda. (File)
Former Prime Minister and Janata Dal (Secular) chief Deve Gowda apparently remains non-committal on joining the Opposition parties banding together for the 2024 polls against the BJP.
"Show me one party which has not associated with the BJP, either directly or indirectly. Show me one party in the whole country, then I will answer," Deve Gowda said on Tuesday responding to a question on Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's efforts to bring together non-BJP parties.
Addressing a press briefing at JP Bhavan in Bengaluru on Tuesday Deve Gowda said, "Show me if there is any party in the country which is not joining hands with BJP. After that, I will talk about the unity of the opposition parties. All the parties have directly or indirectly joined hands with the BJP. Some leaders of the Congress party are also among them."
He further said that the JD(S) party is not worried about the next Lok Sabha elections.
"Now Zilla Panchayat, Taluk Panchayat, BBMP elections are coming up. Based on the public support the party gets in these elections, it will be decided how many constituencies and which constituencies to contest in the Lok Sabha elections", he said.
When asked about Opposition parties coming together for 2024 polls he said that the party has not taken any decision. "We've not taken any decision. First of all, we want to strengthen the party for the local body elections," he said.
On asked about his contesting the Lok Sabha elections in 2024, he said that he would not contest the election.
"I am 91-years-old now. Now the question of contesting the Lok Sabha elections does not arise. The party decides whom to field. Party workers should not be disheartened by the defeat of assembly elections. Changes will be made in the party organization at all levels. Our next goal is to build the party strong again," he said.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)