Deve Gowda’s state tour – political theatre disguised as leadership

 H. D. Deve Gowda, nearly a century old, has announced a statewide tour. A man who once shaped Karnataka and national politics now relies on aides just to take a step. Physically frail, struggling with basic mobility, he embarks on a tour that is, in reality, impossible to execute fully. And yet, the announcement is made — not for the people, not for floods, not for the party, but for optics.

The contrast is glaring. His son, H. D. Kumaraswamy, 60, politically active, and a Union minister, is the natural choice. He has the stamina, the office, and the public profile. Yet it is the father, nearly a centenarian, who is pushed forward. The message is clear: this is no tour of public engagement; it is a staged performance, a carefully choreographed display of vitality where none exists.

The JD(S) is a shell of its former self. Once capable of influencing Karnataka’s political equations, it has lost credibility through flip-flop politics and inconsistent alliances. Attempts at revival have failed. Kumaraswamy’s reputation is tainted by corruption allegations. His brother H. D. Revanna and grandson Prajwal Revanna are mired in a sex scandal, with Prajwal convicted. Even the next generation’s attempts at people-contact programs have flopped. The party cannot recover; its political capital has evaporated.

In this vacuum, Deve Gowda’s tour is a family survival exercise masquerading as leadership. His frailty itself becomes a tool: projecting commitment, care, and presence while masking the inability of younger family members to lead. The spectacle preserves reputation, keeps the family relevant, and signals — subtly but unmistakably — that the Gowdas are still politically alive.

The alignment with the BJP at the Centre makes the calculus explicit. Deve Gowda has lauded Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah repeatedly. This is not principle, it is survival. With multiple legal and political pressures weighing on his sons, the patriarch positions himself as a loyalist, buying goodwill and perhaps shielding the family from scrutiny. The JD(S) has become a satellite, not by choice, but by necessity.

The tour is neither about flood relief, party revival, nor public service. It is a carefully staged PR exercise, a performance to protect a dynasty teetering on the brink. The contrast between Deve Gowda’s physical limitations and Kumaraswamy’s absence exposes the emptiness of the gesture. Karnataka’s electorate can see it: the JD(S) is no longer a credible political force. What plays out is a family in survival mode, dressing desperation as leadership.

The optics are vivid. The substance is absent. Once a symbol of political ambition and regional influence, the Gowda dynasty now survives on spectacle, dependency, and strategic loyalty — political theatre in its most raw form.

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