Deve Gowda slams Congress' 'arrogance', backs Modi govt

New Delhi: In a scathing attack on the Congress, Janata Dal (Secular) chief H D Deve Gowda on Sunday slammed the opposition party for its "arrogance and negativity" while extending his party's full support to the new NDA government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Gowda's remarks came as he thanked PM Modi for offering a Cabinet position to the JD(S), assuring that his party's minister will serve the coalition with 'total commitment'.

His son and former Karnataka chief minister H D Kumaraswamy will make a debut in national politics and take oath as part of PM Modi's new Council of Ministers.

In a strongly worded letter, the former prime minister congratulated PM Modi on his 'historic' third consecutive term, attributing the poll victory to "the almighty's extraordinary blessing" on the prime minister.

Gowda expressed confidence that PM Modi will continue to serve the nation with the same dedication as the past decade.

"It is a truly historic occasion. As I have said many times in the past, this is the result of his almighty's extraordinary blessing on you. I have no doubt that you will continue to be showered with the lord's blessing, and will continue to serve our great nation with absolute dedication that we have all become familiar with for a decade," Gowda wrote.

Dismissing the Congress' claims of an improved performance, Gowda argued that the party had floundered in states under its rule like Karnataka, Telangana, and Himachal Pradesh. He suggested the party's relative success elsewhere was due to their allies, questioning how long such tie-ups will last.

Regretting his inability to attend the swearing-in ceremony due to health issues, Gowda thanked PM Modi for the invitation. He said the JD(S), as an NDA member, looked forward to working with the Modi government on its 'Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas' agenda of inclusive development.