"Pained by Cong leaders comments, blaming JD(S) tie up for its

: JD(S) National President H D Deve Gowda Friday said he was "pained" by Congress leaders comments, blaming the tie up with JD(S) for their party's debacle in the Lok Sabha polls.

"I was pained --when at a meeting in the presence of their national General secretary-- someone (Congress leaders) said that the party was in trouble because of its tie up with JD(S).

It has come out in the media. Some in the media even quoted the word (accusing JDS)of back stabbing...",Gowda said.

Speaking to reporters here, the former Prime Minister noted that it was Congress leaders who had come to him after the May 2018 assembly polls hung verdict and wanted his son H D Kumaraswamy to lead the coalition government.

"We never asked that Kumaraswamy should be made Chief Minister.

Lets be honest with 37 seats.. is it a dharma to ask for (CM)? They (Congress leaders) on Delhi high commands order had come and said Kumaraswamy should become (CM)," Gowda said.

He said he had suggested that Mallikarjun Kharge be made the CM or G Parameshwara, the current deputy Chief Minister or senior Congress leader K H Muniyappa.

Congress candidates in Karnataka have blamed the alliance with the JD(S), issues within the party and alleged misuse of Electronic Voting Machines as the reasons for their defeat in the Lok Sabha polls, during their meeting with AICC General Secretary K C Venugopal on Wednesday.

Lamenting about his defeat in Chikkaballapura, senior Congress leader M Veerappa Moily had recently said the party would have won 15 to 16 seats in the LS polls had there been no tie up with JD(S) and that trusting the alliance was a "mistake."