Bengaluru: Former Prime Minister and JD(S) Supremo H.D. Deve Gowda has revealed that he received an offer from Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar to merge his party JD(S) with Nitish Kumar’s JD(U) (Janata Dal - United) and join the I.N.D.I.A, a bloc of Opposition parties. However, he declined the offer, citing his age and his reluctance to take any political risks at this point in his life.
Gowda made this revelation during an interview with a news organisation, following his party’s decision to join the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA). He explained, “About three to four months ago, Nitish Kumar approached me with the idea of forming a Janata Freedom Front, which would involve all the splinter groups of Janata Dal, including JD(U), JD(S) and Samajwadi Party (SP). Later, he proposed the idea of merging JD(S) with JD(U) and joining I.N.D.I.A. bloc. However, I declined both offers,” he said.
