Southern States - Karnataka   

JD(S) calls off merger talks with AIPJD

By Our Special Correspondent

Bangalore June 20. The Janata Dal (Secular) has expressed its displeasure over the "unilateral stand" of the All-India Progressive Janata Dal (AIPJD) to suspend the merger discussions, and said that under the circumstances, it was compelled to call off discussions and work towards strengthening the party in the State.

The senior leaders of the JD(S), including its President and former Prime Minister, H.D. Deve Gowda, held several discussions in the past two days on ways to strengthen the party. In the view of the JD(S), the party had been misled by the AIPJD since it was constituted before the Bommai formula was discussed threadbare and also because the merger discussions were called off unilaterally.

The State unit President of the JD(S), Siddaramaiah, told presspersons here today: "The merger discussions were never transparent, and despite the JD(S) Executive Committee's resolution to call off the talks, the leaders went ahead with the discussions on the demand of party workers and the people. Enough is enough, and we will now go by the executive committee resolution. All those interested in joining the JD(S) are welcome.''

He said the programme to strengthen the party would be started on June 30 when top leaders would commence a tour of all districts. One day would be devoted for each district in the tour which would go on till July 27. From the second fortnight of August, senior leaders would undertake an intensive tour of all 27 districts, he added.

`No tie-up for polls'

Meanwhile, the JD(S) has clarified that there is no question of the party having any poll alliance with the Congress or the BJP. The party is committed to its earlier stand that it will maintain equidistance from both the Congress and the BJP, and recent reports that the JD(S) is planning a poll tie-up with the Congress are the creation of people who are apparently alarmed by the growth of the JD(S).

He said the polarisation of political forces had commenced in the State, and many former legislators and other senior leaders from the Congress, the BJP, and the Raitha Sangha had joined the JD(S). The leaders included H. Ekantaiah, B.R. Patil, K.G. Maheshwarappa, Vishwanath Patil, Chandrashekar Madana, S.K. Kantha, V. Agadi, Mariyappa, Gureddy, N.S. Khed, Babagouda Patil, and Iqbal Ansari.

Mr. Siddaramaiah said the various panels of the JD(S), including the executive committee, the political affairs committee, and the parliamentary board, would be reconstituted over the next fortnight to accommodate senior leaders who joined the party recently.

An 11-member committee under his chairmanship had been constituted to finalise the new committees, and the heads and members of committees would be finalised in consultation with the top leaders.

Rural weightage

He described as "strange" the Government's decision to terminate the services of nearly 4,000 employees who were recruited on the basis of rural weightage, and to file a review petition before the Supreme Court. After having failed to take any action for nearly 45 days, the Government had taken the decision when the deadline for filing a review petition was nearing, he said. There was no mention on whether the Government proposed to retain the concept of rural weightage, which had benefited a large number of graduates from rural areas, he added.

Mr. Siddaramaiah said if the Government wanted to enable the 13,500 beneficiaries to continue in government service and retain the rural weightage scheme, it should have promulgated an Ordinance.

The former Union minister, C.M. Ibrahim, referred to the Government's stand on admissions to private professional colleges, and said their managements were virtually dictating terms to the Government. The latter could not take action since "most" private colleges were under the control of Congress leaders. The Government should have promulgated an Ordinance, and regulated admissions to private colleges, he added.

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