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JD-S seeks to clear doubts about its secular credentials

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Press Trust of India Bangalore

Addressing a Muslim Convention, organised by JD (S), party supremo and former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda today said his son H D Kumaraswamy committed a mistake by forming the government with BJP.

Kumaraswamy committed the mistake of forming government with BJP as the Congress attempted to divide JD (S), Gowda said.

"I am not after a chief minister's or any other post. Fighting for secular credentials is important for me than for power," he said.

Gowda slammed the BJP government for not appointing a member from the minority community in the Karnataka Public Service Commission.

Gowda said during his tenure as the chief minister, he took the decision to introduce four per cent reservation for minorities in government jobs.

 

He said his family did not appease Vokkaliga community alone when he was chief minister, but had given five per cent reservation for Lingayat community. "I gave four per cent reservation for Vokkaliga," he said.

Gowda said his party had come to the rescue of the minority people whenever they were in trouble and had written to then Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee to conduct an inquiry into the Sabarmati Express tragedy.

Kumaraswamy said he took several measures to protect the interests of Muslims even after joining hands with BJP.

JDS MLA Zameer Ahmed Khan alleged that Congress were misleading Muslims and using them as vote bank.

  

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First Published: Jul 15 2012 | 11:35 PM IST

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