Karnataka   

Gaps in coalition widen as coordination panel meet put off

BANGALORE: The increasing differences between the Janata Dal (Secular) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) took a plunge for the worse on Saturday with the postponement of the coordination committee meeting between the heads of the two parties.

A meeting of the coordination committee, which was primarily constituted to sort out differences if any soon after the H.D. Kumaraswamy Government took charge in February last, has not been held for six months.

Sources in the Janata Dal (S) told The Hindu that the party bosses did not attach much importance to the coordination committee and dismissed the demand of the BJP for convening such a meeting by stating that “there are no dif ferences between the two parties”.

On the other hand, the BJP has been pressing for the meeting since it is the only forum available to the party to question the decisions of the Chief Minister. “So many decisions are being taken by the Chief Minister unilaterally. How can we be mute spectators. The coordination committee is an important platform to iron out differences and ensure a smooth running of the Government,” party sources said.

Officially, Deputy Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa and State BJP president D.V. Sadananda Gowda refused to voice their anger at being pushed to a corner by the Janata Dal (S). The coordination committee was to meet on Thursday after the Cabinet meeting which saw BJP Ministers threatening to quit en masse and the Chief Minister reportedly stating that he was not a power monger and he would prefer to seek dissolution of the Legislative Assembly.

Thereafter, the meeting was put off to Friday and subsequently to Saturday prior to the departure of the Chief Minister to Bellary. The meeting was put off on Saturday on the ground that many members of the committee were not in Bangalore.

The Chief Minister told The Hindu that a meeting of the coordination committee would be convened in the next four days. “Why all this confusion? I have never said that I will not transfer power,” he said.

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