Janata Dal (S) president addressing a press conference on Sunday. — Photo: V. Sreenivasa Murthy

BANGALORE: Janata Dal (S) president and former Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda on Sunday declared that the State MPs, including himself, would place all the facts regarding "injustice" meted out to Karnataka in the sharing of Cauvery waters, in the Lok Sabha as well as before the country.

Addressing presspersons here, Mr. Gowda said the MPs from the State had already requested the Lok Sabha Speaker to allow discussion on the Cauvery issue. If the Speaker permitted it, then they would unitedly take part in the debate cutting across party affiliations. "This is a struggle and not a fight with others," he said.

Mr. Gowda also denied reports that he had met Congress president Sonia Gandhi. These were "rumours" he said. "For what political or personal gain should I meet anybody?" When asked whether he would meet Ms. Gandhi in the coming days, he said it was a hypothetical question.

When asked to comment on BJP State president D.V. Sadananda Gowda's remarks that the BJP was ready to face mid-term polls to the Legislative Assembly, Mr. Gowda only said that it was the JD(S)-BJP coalition Government of Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy and Deputy Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa to decide, and that he had nothing to do with the issue.

Welcoming more than 150 leaders of the BJP and the Congress from Chamarajanagar district, Bangalore city, Uttarahalli and Channapatna into the party fold, Mr. Gowda said that the party had gained strength with their inclusion. The former Prime Minister termed 2007 as a year of political polarisation. "It is not possible to prevent political polarisation", he remarked.

Mr. Gowda also said he would take an active part in the debate on the Union budget in the Lok Sabha.

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