Bengaluru: Former Congress lawmaker Adaguru H. Vishwanath on Tuesday joined the Janata Dal (Secular) with his followers in Bengaluru in the presence of former prime minister H.D. Deve Gowda and JD(S) state president H.D. Kumaraswamy.
“It is historical turn in my political career. I will strive to bring JD(S) to power in the state. I am planning to tour the state with JD(S) leaders,’’ Vishwanath told reporters here.
Vishwanath quit the Congress on June 24 after associating with the party for four decades. He was a minister in the S.M. Krishna Cabinet from 1999 to 2004 and got elected to Lok Sabha from Mysuru in 2009. “I will continue my struggle for the uplift of the backward classes in the state,’’ he said.
He claimed to have salvaged Siddaramaiah’s political future by encouraging him to join the Congress after he fell out with JD(S) supremo H.D. Deve Gowda in July 2006. “There is no need for me to recall the reasons for quitting the Congress and join the JD(S). My aim is to strengthen the JD(S),’’ he said.
The former lawmaker hails from K.R. Nagar in Mysuru district. Around 10 members of KR Nagar Town Municipality joined the JD(S). “Now, I have got the opportunity to work with Kumaraswamy, with Deve Gowda’s blessings. My aim is to bring JD(S) to power in the state,’’ he said.
A political leader from the powerful Kuruba community, Vishwanath was welcomed by party patriarch H.D. Deve Gowda and party’s State president H.D. Kumaraswamy. They handed over the party flag to him.
