Date:12/10/2007 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2007/10/12/stories/2007101254420500.htm

Karnataka - Bangalore

Merajuddin Patel fires another salvo at BJP

S. Rajendran

‘Janata Dal (Secular) leadership is keen on having elections at the earliest’

Merajuddin Patil

Bangalore: The Janata Dal (Secular) leadership is working overtime to ensure that the legislators of the party stand united and abide by the decisions taken by the party leadership. The attempt is to prevent any division within its ranks.

President of the State unit of the party Merajuddin Patel told The Hindu here on Thursday that irrespective of any meeting between a section of the party legislators with the leaders of any political party, there was no question of the Janata Dal (S) entering into any understanding with either the Congress or the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to form another coalition government in the State.

“At this moment there is no understanding. It is, however, difficult for me to say what can happen at a later date. The Janata Dal (S) leadership is keen on having elections for the Legislative Assembly at the earliest date,” he said.

Asked about the meeting that some of the Janata Dal (S) legislators have reportedly been having at the residence of the former Home Minister, M.P. Prakash, Mr. Patel said that he had spoken to Mr. Prakash on the matter.

“It was only a meeting of a few legislators who do not want elections at the present juncture. Mr. Prakash has convinced them to refrain from any anti-party activity,” he said. Mr. Patel voiced his anger against the statements of the former Deputy Chief Minister, B.S. Yediyurappa, and State unit president of BJP D.V. Sadananda Gowda, and said: “They are still speaking to some of our legislators with the belief that they can split the Janata Dal (S) on communal lines. It is not a ‘dharma yudh’ as mentioned by Mr. Yediyurappa. It is a ‘kursi ka yudh’ — a craze for the Chief Minister’s chair — which is driving Mr. Yediyurappa to such levels. Mr. Yediyurappa should know that both he and (the former Chief Minister) H.D. Kumaraswamy are Hindus. How can there be a ‘dharma yudh’. The party will checkmate all attempts by the BJP to divide the Janata Dal (S) on communal and caste lines.”

He said: “While the BJP leader Ananthkumar is speaking of changing the face of Bababudangiri into Datta Peeta, Mr. Yediyurappa still believes that he can woo the Janata Dal (S). The Janata Dal (S) has walked out of the alliance with the BJP only to send a strong signal that it is committed to secularism.”

A meeting of the Janata Dal (S) legislature party has been called on Monday at the official residence of Mr. Kumaraswamy.