Date:16/10/2007 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2007/10/16/stories/2007101661150100.htm

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JD(S) Legislature Party meeting begins

Special Correspondent

Bangalore: The two-day Janata Dal (Secular) Legislature Party meeting got off to a start on Monday at a private resort about 30 kilometres from here. The meeting has largely been called to ensure the unity of the legislature party in the light of the reported attempts by other political parties to divide the Janata Dal (Secular) legislature unit.

Party spokesman Y.S.V. Datta told presspersons that the first day of the meeting had been set apart to hear out the views of the party legislators.

On Tuesday, the President of the State unit of the Janata Dal (Secular) Merajuddin Patel and the other senior leaders, including the former Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy, and the former Home Minister, M.P. Prakash, would address the legislators.

MLAs’ views

It was mentioned that the views of the legislators would be summed up and presented to the former Prime Minister and national president of the Janata Dal (Secular) H.D. Deve Gowda at the end of the two-day meeting.

The party legislators would call upon Mr. Deve Gowda to take a final decision on whether to look forward to forming another coalition gor opt for elections.

The party MLA Mahima Patel who has voiced his anger over the party pulling out of the alliance with the Bharatiya Janata Party, was conspicuous by his absence from the meeting.