The Hindu : AIPJD on the verge of a split?

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Feb 15, 2004

Karnataka

Karnataka

AIPJD on the verge of a split?

By S. Rajendran

BANGALORE, FEB. 14. The All-India Progressive Janata Dal (AIPJD) is stated to be on the verge of a split with one group of leaders seeking an alignment with the Congress and another group looking for a merger with the Janata Party.

The President of the Janata Party, Subramanian Swamy, and the Working President, Vijay Mallya, today held an hour-long meeting with the national President of the AIPJD, S.R. Bommai, and reports said the merger would be clinched in a short while. Mr. Bommai has been offered the presidentship of the national outfit and Dr. Swamy will be the Chairman of the Parliamentary Board. The merger of the two parties should have come about nearly a fortnight ago but for the sudden demise of the AIPJD State unit President, K.N. Nage Gowda.

The Chief Minister, S.M. Krishna, on Friday held a closed-door meeting with some AIPJD leaders to reportedly initiate a discussion that could culminate in a seat-sharing understanding between the Congress and the AIPJD. It was said that the AIPJD leaders requested the Chief Minister to share a certain number of seats where the party candidates were in a strong position. The AIPJD was keen on fielding all its present legislators and also some former Ministers and legislators who had lost the 1999 Assembly elections by a narrow margin. Although the number of seats sought was not mentioned, reports said the AIPJD would seek at least 40 seats.

Mr. Bommai told that the meeting between a section of AIPJD leaders and the Chief Minister was unauthorised and tantamount to anti-party activity. The same group of AIPJD leaders today held talks with the former Chairman of the Legislative Council, B.L. Shankar, and the Minister for Urban Development, D.K. Shivakumar. Mr. Shankar is expected to bring this group in the AIPJD to the Congress.

Sources in the AIPJD section leaning towards the Congress told that the response from the Chief Minister was quite positive. The two parties were expected to arrive at an understanding at the earliest. Among the AIPJD leaders who participated in the discussions were the former Speaker of the Legislative Assembly, Ramesh Kumar, the former Ministers, S.S. Patil and M.C. Nanaiah, and the Kolar MLA, K. Srinivas Gowda.

While the Bommai group is expected to align with the Janata Party, the Congress is the only party with which the erstwhile Janata Dal (Neutral) in the AIPJD has chosen to negotiate. Party leaders are in no mood to hold talks with the Janata Dal (S) following the collapse of the merger discussions held over several months. The leaders are also upset at the manner in which the former Prime Minister, H.D. Deve Gowda, had attempted to divide the AIPJD by taking away some of the senior leaders including P.G.R. Sindhia and M.P. Prakash.

The Chief Minister is expected to place the details of his discussions with the AIPJD leaders before the party High Command and some senior State leaders. It was mentioned that the Congress and the AIPJD were keen on an understanding since the arrangement could check the growth of the BJP.

Mr. Krishna's negotiations with a section of the AIPJD has come as a shot in the arm to the party, which has been weakened following the death of Ramakrishna Hegde, C. Byre Gowda, and K.N. Nage Gowda in the recent past. Several party leaders and legislators have been holding discussions individually with various parties.

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