HD Deve Gowda pictures back on the walls of Vidhana Soudha - The Times of India

BENGALURU: Portraits of former Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda have made a comeback in Vidhana Soudha with the JD(S) coming to power in alliance with the Congress. Pictures of the JD(S) patriarch now adorn the walls of the chambers occupied by the ministers from his party.The first thing that GT Devegowda, who dillydallied for a fortnight before taking over as the higher education minister on last Friday, did was to put up a portrait of his party supremo along with that of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, President Ram Nath Kovind, Dr B R Ambedkar, Basavanna and Mahatma Gandhi.“He is our party’s supreme leader and I’ve become minister because of his support. I wanted his portrait in my chamber,” said Devegowda.The minister had refused to take up the portfolio citing that he was not even a matriculate but relented after a nudge by the former PM. He has made a point to put up the portraits on the wall right in front of his chair, saying he draws inspiration by looking at them. Transport minister DC Thammanna has also got the portrait ready. Most of the 10 JD(S) ministers have Deve Gowda’s photo in their chambers and party leaders said the rest will follow suit shortly.“Deve Gowda is not just the supreme leader of our party, but he’s the only leader from Karnataka to have become the country’s PM. It’s out of pride and respect that the ministers have put up his portrait,” JD(S) city president R Prakash said. He, however, hastened to add that the party has issued no diktat to display Gowda’s pictures in ministerial chambers.Siddaramaiah’s controversial actFormer CM Siddaramaiah had removed Gowda’s photo from his chamber after taking over as the chief minister in May 2013, drawing criticism from both the JD(S) and BJP. The saffron party was piqued by Siddaramaiah removing the picture of former PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee too from his chambers. Siddaramaiah reinstalled both the pictures after the Legislative Assembly witnessed a heated debate over the issue and leaders from across parties urged him to do so.“According to protocol, it’s mandatory to put up the portraits of Mahatma Gandhi, Ambedkar and Basavanna. It is not binding on the ministers to put up the portraits of former prime ministers. JD(S) ministers have put up these pictures on their own,” said a senior official at CM’s office.