Union Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy greets party workers during the silver jubilee celebrations of the party in Hassan on Saturday.
ShivamoggaUnion Minister for Heavy Industries and Steel and Janata Dal (Secular) State president H.D. Kumaraswamy on Saturday said that many party workers wanted him to become the Chief Minister after the 2028 elections, but his goal was “not to become the Chief Minister, but to set things right in the State.”
He was addressing a party rally, held for the first time in Hassan after the Lok Sabha polls in 2024. It witnessed a huge turnout and party leaders, including former Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda, appealed to the people to “remove the corrupt Congress government whenever the next elections are held.”
Speaking earlier, JD(S) youth wing president Nikhil Kumaraswamy had said that the party’s aim was to make his father Chief Minister after the 2028 polls.
The party organised the rally in Hassan, a strong bastion of the party, to mark its silver jubilee celebrations. The party leaders repeatedly called it a meeting to strengthen the organisation ahead of the local body elections and also an event in response to two rallies that the Congress held in Hassan after coming to power in 2023.
‘Brokers and looters’
Mr. Kumaraswamy alleged that the State government was being ruled by “brokers and looters” and urged the people to remove the Congress government.
“Many JD(S) leaders want me to become the Chief Minister in 2028. However, my goal is to set the things right in the State. I have no wish to make money,” he stated.
Appeal to Muslims
Referring to the eviction of people from Thanisandra and Kogilu Mane in Bengaluru, Mr. Kumaraswamy called upon Muslims not to have faith in the Congress government. “The ruling government evicted children, pregnant women from their places in the cold. Muslims need to understand this better,” he said.
Addressing the gathering, Mr. Gowda stated that the rally was organised to send a message to the nation and particularly the political opponents that the JD(S) was strong under the leadership of Mr. Kumaraswamy.
“The Congress held two rallies in Hassan and its leaders commented that they would finish the JD(S) in the district. We have organised the rally to show our strength,” he stated.
Now in NDA
Referring to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s 2018 statement that the JD(S) was the B-team of the BJP, Mr. Gowda maintained, “Now we are partner of the BJP in the NDA and Mr. Kumaraswamy is a Union Minister.”
The former Prime Minister said he wishes to inaugurate an Indian Institute of Technology and Hassan Airport in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and all MPs of the JD(S) and the BJP.
Published – January 24, 2026 08:24 pm IST
