REBUILDING RELATIONS: Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy (right) speaking to Bharatiya Janata Party State unit president D.V. Sadananda Gowda in Bangalore on Wednesday. Minister for Health andFamily Welfare R. Ashok is seen. — Photo: K. Gopinatha n

BANGALORE: Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy held a breakfast meeting with Bharatiya Janata Party State unit president D.V. Sadananda Gowda on Wednesday and they decided to forget the events of the past few days which had sparked speculation that the coalition was facing problems.

The discussions followed the meeting between Janata Dal (Secular) president H.D. Deve Gowda and Deputy Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa before the latter left on a tour of Germany. Mr. Yediyurappa is said to have brought about Wednesday's meeting between the Chief Minister and Mr. Sadananda Gowda.

Last week, Mr. Sadananda Gowda chose to go public with his views on "nomination of Janata Dal (S) workers" to cooperative institutions in five districts. He said it had been done without consulting the BJP. Mr. Kumaraswamy responded with a declaration that he was prepared to face elections.

The BJP released a detailed list of the nominations, and it was left to Mr. Yediyurappa to try and retrieve the situation. On Wednesday, after breakfast at "Krishna", Mr. Kumaraswamy and Mr. Sadananda Gowda agreed that they should put the episode behind them, and blamed it on "communication gap". They said there were no more obstacles or misunderstandings between them, and after Mr. Yediyurappa's return, a meeting of the coordination committee would be held.

Mr. Sadananda Gowda said the Opposition parties were happy when there were signs of differences between the Janata Dal (S) and the BJP. "But we know that we will run the Government without a hitch," he added.

Portfolios and responsibilities would be shared on the basis of the agreement between the two partners made at the time of formation of the coalition in January.

Mr. Sadananda Gowda said the media had "gone overboard" reporting his letter on the nominations, which he had only written to highlight the views of BJP workers and respond to their concerns.

Mr. Kumaraswamy made light of his statements and said: "It was a reaction made without thinking, and it was not meant to be taken literally."

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