The Hindu : Janata Dal (S) leaders on a high after tour

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Mar 12, 2004

Karnataka

Karnataka

Janata Dal (S) leaders on a high after tour

By Our Special Correspondent

BANGALORE, MARCH 11. The Janata Dal (Secular), which has completed the first phase of campaigning in the districts of North Karnataka, is confident of a good performance in the elections to the Legislative Assembly going by the people's response to it.

The Secretary-General and spokesman of the party, P.G.R. Sindhia, who returned here today after a fortnight-long tour with senior leaders, including the President of the party and former Prime Minister, H.D. Deve Gowda, and the President of the State unit of the party, Siddaramaiah, told presspersons that the people's response was positive and they were keen on ousting the Congress from power.

"The people's response was beyond our expectations. Twelve districts were covered in the first round of campaigning. They were Dakshina Kannada, Bidar, Gulbarga, Raichur, Bellary, Koppal, Bijapur, Bagalkot, Belgaum, Dharwad, Haveri, and Gadag.

He said these districts covered 13 parliamentary constituencies and 104 Assembly constituencies.

The second round of campaigning would be in the southern districts and it would commence on March 18. The Janata Dal (S) was expected to announce the first list of candidates by March 20.

The party has plans to contest all the 224 Assembly constituencies and the 28 Lok Sabha constituencies although some seats may be set apart for its alliance partners, including the CPI and the CPI(M).

Mr. Sindhia said the party manifesto was being prepared under the guidance of the former Minister, A. Lakshmisagar. Observers had been appointed to tour all the constituencies and submit a report by March 16 on prospective candidates. The final list of candidates would be decided thereafter.

Asked about the statement of the BJP President, M. Venkaiah Naidu, that the Janata Dal (S) had a dual policy (one at the Centre and another in the State), Mr. Sindhia said: "It is a mischief. We are clear in our policy of maintaining equidistance from both the BJP and the Congress. If at all we wanted to go with the Congress we could have done that long ago. It is the BJP which has a dual policy, and there is no clarity in its Vision India statement. On the one hand it says that Ram Mandir, banning cow slaughter, and Article 370 will not form part of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) agenda, while on the other, at its meetings with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and the Vishwa Hindu Parishad it categorically states it is part of the agenda."

Referring to the report that the former Minister, R. Roshan Baig, who is being interrogated by the Stamp Paper Investigation Team (STAMPIT) in connection with the stamp paper scam was seeking admission to the Janata Dal (S), he said: "It is far from truth. Neither has he sought entry nor will he be permitted entry. The Janata Dal (S) is not interested in people with a reco

rd as that of Mr. Roshan Baig." The Janata Dal (S) has also decided to place before its parliamentary board the question of extending support to the writer and Jnanpith Award winner, U.R. Ananthamurthy, who has sought the party's support along with that of the Congress to contest as an Independent for the Bangalore South Lok Sabha constituency with the aim of defeating the BJP. The Janata Dal (S) was also looking forward to the BJP MP, M. Rajasekhara Murthy, joining it at the earliest.

A senior officer of the Karnataka Administrative Service, Bhakta Rame Gowda, who took voluntary retirement recently, today joined the Janata Dal (S). He has requested the leaders to field him for the Chitradurga parliamentary constituency or for the Molkalmuru or Kallambella Assembly seat. Mr. Rame Gowda was the Special Deputy Commissioner of Chitradurga district until recently.

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