Modi wave waning, coalition era would be back: Deve Gowda

Former Prime Minister and JD(S) President H D Deve Gowda today said the Narendra Modi wave is on the wane following BJP’s defeat in Delhi and Bihar Assembly polls, besides Gujarat local body polls and claimed the coalition era would return.

“Yes it (the Modi wave) is coming down…,” Gowda told PTI after JD(S) National Executive meeting here. Gowda said the debate in and outside Parliament over “rising intolerance”, farmers’ suicides and killing of three rationalists had “culminated into spoiling” the image of PrimeMinister Narendra Modi.

Modi had promised to root out corruption but “failed,” which the alert Indian electorate understands, he said.

“The Indian electorate is very vigilant. You cannot take their vigilance for granted. We politicians should be very alert and the Prime Minister had made several promises before the Lok Sabha elections – the foremost being rooting out corruption, which he has not done as yet,” he said. In reality, there was no Modi wave, and it was created by the media because the mood was for achange.

The country wanted riddance from “corrupt” rule ofUPA government for a decade, Gowda claimed.

“There was no Modi wave. It was created by the media. Iwant to make it clear. There is no charge (against the media). Themedia wanted change. The mood in the nation was for a changebecause of the corruption charges against UPA.

Taking thisinto account, corporate houses cooperated,” he said.

Modi took advantage of the prevailing mood against the UPA government to win Lok Sabha elections and at the same time secular parties also failed to come together on the same platform, Deve Gowda said.

Replying to a query, Gowda said “Bihar poll results have given country a new direction to move forward to put an end to the issue of intolerance.”

Asked whether the Bihar poll results will result inthe return of coalition era, Gowda said “exactly. Why?See, he (Modi) made tall claims about eradicating corruption. What happened in Madhya Pradesh? What happened in Rajasthan? People are very alert,” he said.

Gowda also said he hoped regional parties in various states and Left front outfits and Congress will ultimately come together.

Gowda claimed that for the first time, RSS was monitoringgovernment’s performance.

“For the firsttime in the country, RSS is monitoring the performance of thegovernment. We have never seen. They claim RSS is aculturalorganisation. They are directly involved,” the former PM said.