Kanta disapproves Hegde's statement

By Our Staff Correspondent

GULBARGA, DEC. 15. The General Secretary of the Janata Dal (U) Parliamentary Board, Mr. S. K. Kanta, on Friday disapproved the statement of the party leader, Mr. Ramakrishna Hegde, ruling out merger of the two factions of Janata Dals, and said that the merger move was still on.

Addressing a press conference here, Mr. Kanta said Mr. Hegde's announcement in this regard was unilateral and was against the decision of the Executive Committee of the Janata Dal (U) authorising the former Chief Minister, late J. H. Patel, to work out ways for the merger of the two factions.

Mr. Hegde's statement immediately after the death of J.H.Patel was condemnable, he said and added that he was not authorised by anybody to make such a statement. Merger plans should not collapse following the personal differences of Mr. Hegde and Mr. H. D. Deve Gowda, he added.

Leaders should put aside their personal differences and honour the feelings of the party workers, because they wanted the merger of Janata Dal factions to defeat Congress(I) and the BJP in the State, he added. Praising the efforts of late J. H. Patel in this direction, he said differences on the merger issue had narrowed down.

To a question, Mr. Kanta said he did not attach much importance to the statement of the JD(U) President, Mr. Sharad Yadav, that the Janata Dal (S) was free to merge with Janata Dal (U).

The Janata Dal was active only in Karnataka, he said and added that in some States such as Bihar it was not a force to reckon with. With the merger, the Janata Dal would become a dominant party in State politics, Mr. Kanta said.

Neither the executive committee nor the legislature party had given up merger plans, he said and added that nobody in the party, including Mr. Hegde, and the State unit President of the party, Mr. C. Byre Gowda, had powers to call off the merger moves.

Mr. Kanta said he was in touch with other Janata Dal (U) leaders in the State who were in favour of a merger, and these like- minded leaders, including former Ministers, Mr. B. L. Shankar, Mr. M. C. Nanaiah and Mr.Moinuddin, would meet in Bangalore shortly to chalk out future course of action.

Mr. Kanta refused to give the names of leaders with whom he was in touch to keep alive the merger move. Refuting the claims of the former Minister, Mr. B. Somasekhar, that late J. H. Patel was never in favour of a merger, he said Patel had wanted to complete the merger formalities by October this year. But his ill-health came in the way. ``Patel had held preliminary discussion with the Janata Dal (S) leaders, and the formalities for merger had been completed,'' he added.

Majority of leaders in the Janata Dal (U) were in favour of merger, Mr. Kanta said. The Janata Dal (S) leaders were ready for the merger of the factions on the condition that the Janata Dal (U) should maintain equi-distance from the Congress(I) and the BJP, he added.

Referring to the merger of the State unit of the Samata Party with the Janata Dal (U), Mr. Kanta said the merger move was agreed after getting an assurance from late J. H. Patel that the party would maintain equi-distance from the Congress(I) and the BJP.

Mr. Kanta said after Mr. Byre Gowda became the party chief he did not tour the State. Mr. Gowda had failed to carry on the party campaign in the zilla panchayat and taluk panchayat elections and failed to organise agitations against the State and Union governments against their anti- people policies, he added.

Mr. Kanta said if the Dal factions failed to merge and contest the ensuing elections to urban local bodies on their own, at least in Gulbarga, he was thinking of forming a citizens forum to field common candidates against the Congress(I) and the BJP.

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