Karnataka - Bangalore

Chikkamadu, others join Janata Dal (S)

Special Correspondent

Several Congress, BJP leaders also join party

SERIOUS CONVERSATION: Janata Dal (Secular) president H.D. Deve Gowda flanked by Chikkamadu (left), who joined the party, and Tourism Minister D.T. Jayakumar at a function in Bangalore on Thursday. — Photo: V. Sreenivasa Murthy

BANGALORE: The Janata Dal (Secular), to make up for the setback in Mysore district on account of the revolt by the former Deputy Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, on Thursday admitted the former Congress MLA for Hunsur Chikkamadu and a large number of workers from other parties.

At a function held at the party headquarters here, Mr. Chikkamadu, along with over 1,000 supporters including Congress and BJP members of the Mysore zilla, taluk and gram panchayats joined the JD(S). Several leaders of the Congress and the BJP from Mysore and Chamarajanagar districts also joined the party. Mr. Chikkamadu is a leader of the backward classes in Mysore district.

The JD(S) supremo, H.D. Deve Gowda, said there is no threat to the coalition Government in the State. The JD(S) and the Congress are within their rights to strengthen themselves. "We are together in running the Government and independent in building up our respective political parties. The JD(S) has nothing against KPCC President M. Mallikarjun Kharge who has also launched party conventions in the districts.

He said the coalition Government will last as long as Congress president Sonia Gandhi wants the arrangement to continue. "The JD(S) has promised support in unequivocal terms to the Congress leadership and will stand by the promise," he said. The party, which suffered a setback following certain internal differences, will now go full steam ahead to strengthen itself. Workers' conventions will be held in all the districts followed by taluk-level conventions.

Mr. Gowda said the JD(S) is not a caste-based party as is being made out to be by political rivals. Its leadership is ready to face all challenges. It was widely believed that the party would suffer a major setback in the Mysore region, but this has largely been overcome with the entry of top leaders like the former Union Minister V. Srinivas Prasad and Mr. Chikkamadu. While Mr. Prasad is a prominent Scheduled Caste leader, Mr. Chikkamadu is a backward class leader.

JD(S) working president H.D. Kumaraswamy said Mysore and Chamarajanagar districts are important for the party. The people of the region have elected ten legislators of the JD(S).

Referring to the daylong dharna staged by Mr. Siddaramaiah along with the former Ministers C.M. Ibrahim and H.C. Mahadevappa in support of poor and meritorious students, he said it was only to derive political mileage.

Tourism Minister D.T. Jayakumar said he will expose the "other face of Mr. Siddaramaiah" over a period of time. It is unfortunate that Mr. Siddaramaiah utilised the backward classes to help himself and never really did anything for their benefit, he said,

Party general secretary Y.S.V. Datta welcomed the gathering.

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