In a week dominated by intense policy debates, the Rajya Sabha witnessed a rare display of “political stand-up” as veterans Mallikarjun Kharge and HD Deve Gowda traded marriage metaphors. While the initial exchange on Wednesday, March 18, sparked laughter from across the aisle—including from Prime Minister Modi—the follow-up from the JD(S) patriarch has added a layer of historical grit to the humor.
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Kharge’s Comedy Set: “Love with us, Marriage with Modi”
Speaking during the farewell for retiring MPs, Kharge reflected on his 54-year association with Deve Gowda.
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The Quip: “Wo Mohabbat humare saath kiye, shaadi Modi Sahab ke saath” (He fell in love with us, but married Modi sahab).
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The Reaction: The House erupted in splits. PM Modi was seen covering his face while laughing, a stark contrast to the usually acrimonious sessions of 2026.
The Abusive Relationship: Gowda’s Detailed Rebuttal
Deve Gowda, who was absent during the speech as he had traveled to Bengaluru for Ugadi celebrations, issued a factual and sharp response on X (formerly Twitter) on Thursday morning.
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Forced Marriage: Gowda claimed the 2018 Karnataka alliance was forced upon him by Congress leaders like Ghulam Nabi Azad.
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The “Kharge for CM” Claim: Gowda revealed that in 2018, he had openly proposed that Mallikarjun Kharge should be the Chief Minister, but the Congress insisted on his son, HD Kumaraswamy, to seal the deal.
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The Divorce: He characterized the 2019 collapse of the coalition as Congress “dumping” the JD(S), leaving him with no choice but to seek a “more stable partner” in the BJP.
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A Legacy of Alliances: 1996 to 2026
The “marriage” history between these two entities is long and complicated:
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1996: Congress supported Gowda’s United Front government from the outside (Lasted < 1 year).
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2004: A coalition in Karnataka that ended in a bitter split.
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2018: The “forced wedding” where Kumaraswamy took the oath, followed by a tearful admission that he was “drinking poison” as CM.
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2026: JD(S) is now a firm member of the NDA, focusing on the upcoming 2028 state assembly goals.
Reality Check
While the banter was light-hearted, it masks a deep-seated regional rivalry. Mallikarjun Kharge, now the AICC President, has been the primary victim of the JD(S)-Congress “love-hate” cycle in Karnataka for decades. Gowda’s reminder that he wanted Kharge to be CM in 2018 is a subtle way of suggesting that Kharge’s own party (the Congress) held him back more than the JD(S) ever did.
The Loopholes
Kharge says he doesn’t know why Gowda “married” Modi. In fact, this is a “Survival Loophole”—the JD(S) was facing an existential threat of becoming irrelevant in a bipolar Congress-vs-BJP state. Therefore, the alliance was less about “love” and more about staying on the ballot. Still, the “Defection Loophole” remains; as Gowda noted, many Congress MLAs who defected to the BJP in 2019 are still high-ranking ministers. This “marriage” was as much about local MLAs looking for greener pastures as it was about the top leadership’s “vows.”
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What This Means for You
If you are following Karnataka politics, watch the Ugadi celebrations closely. First, realize that Gowda’s return to Bengaluru marks the start of a massive outreach program for the 2028 elections.
Then, if you are a supporter of either party, understand that the “Abusive Relationship” rhetoric is set to be the primary campaign theme for the JD(S) to justify their shift to the right. Finally, understand that parliamentary “banter” like this is often used to test the waters for future cross-party cooperation—or to burn bridges permanently before a major election cycle.
What’s Next
Expect Congress leaders in Karnataka to issue a counter-statement today, likely disputing the “Kharge for CM” claim of 2018. Then, look for Nikhil Kumaraswamy to take a more central role in the JD(S)-BJP joint coordination committee meetings in April. Finally, expect the Rajya Sabha to welcome 59 new members by July, marking a significant shift in the Upper House’s voting power as the “veteran era” of Pawar, Gowda, and Kharge transitions to a new generation.
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