Bangalore: The Janata Dal (Secular) legislators and Ministers are back in Bangalore, displaying a picture of unity after the brief retreat at a resort near Pune. With the threat of dissidence in the party blowing over, the stage is now set for a minor Ministry expansion apart from the finalisation of appointments to the various government boards and corporations.

In a clever move, Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy, faced with the threat of dissidence in the party instigated by at least two Ministers and a few legislators, took his flock on a three-day trip to a resort near Pune to iron out the differences within the legislature party. They were all given adequate time in one-to-one sessions with the Chief Minister, thus answering their complaints of not getting access to him.

Sources in the JD (S) told The Hindu that dissidence had now been eliminated and the Chief Minister must now implement all the assurances that he had made to the Ministers and the legislators. An important outcome of the retreat was the decision to make this an exercise to be undertaken at least once in three months. Organising such conclaves outside the State would prevent other party activists joining the bandwagon.

At least half of the nearly 50 legislators who have steadfastly backed the leadership of Mr. Kumaraswamy hope to get ministerial berths, a demand that is next to impossible for the Chief Minister to fulfil in the present power-sharing arrangement with the BJP.

If not as Ministers, the JD (S) legislators hope to at least be appointed as chairmen of some important boards and corporations.

With party matters being directly handled by JD (S) president and former Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda, very few of the legislators have any important role to play in the party affairs and consequently all of them are keen on a role in the Government.

The Chief Minister and the legislators returned a day ahead of their scheduled return and seemed to feel that the purpose of the retreat was fulfilled. On the criticism levelled by some legislators against his elder brother and Public Works Minister H.D. Revanna, a section of the JD (S) leadership felt that it was for Mr. Deve Gowda to convey to Mr. Revanna that he should not be overbearing with Ministers and legislators.

Two of the legislators Zameer Ahmed Khan and Santosh Lad who led the dissident group joined the trip to Pune, an indication that the opposition to the Chief Minister was weakening. And after all the heated exchanges the entire group followed their leader on a brief pilgrimage to Shirdi before returning to Bangalore.

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