The Hindu : Ananth Kumar sees polarisation in State

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Feb 18, 2004

Karnataka

Karnataka

Ananth Kumar sees polarisation in State

By Our Special Correspondent

BANGALORE, FEB. 17. Karigowda, Janata Dal (Secular) MLC, C.R. Mohammed Saifuddin, former Congress legislator, and Mumtaz Ali Khan, social scientist, were among those who joined the BJP here today.

Admitting them into the party, the State BJP President, H.N. Ananth Kumar claimed that polarisation was taking place not just in the political realm, but also among people with more and more of them acknowledging that the BJP was the alternative force in the State.

Mr. Kumar said the Congress in the State was nervous and the prolonged "indecisiveness" on going to the polls was testimony to this. The BJP was determined to "oust the Congress here along with its roots", he said and mentioned that the party would highlight what he called corruption and maladministration of the Congress Government in the election campaign.

Mr. Karigowda who was with the Janata Party and later the Janata Dal for about 25 years, said he had quit the Janata Dal (S) because he was fed up with its "pseudo-secular" attitude and the party's style of functioning which was dictated by one family (that of the former Prime Minister, H.D. Deve Gowda).

Mr. Khan, who joined the BJP along with his wife, said he had remained apolitical all these years, but his thinking had changed following the leadership qualities shown by Mr. Vajpayee. The Congress, he said, had created a vote-bank of the Muslim community.

Echoing similar views, Mr. Saifuddin said the Congress had tried to keep Muslims away from the BJP and it was his intention to bring the community into mainstream politics.

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