The Hindu : Front Page : ‘We’re ready to go to people’s court’

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Friday, Oct 05, 2007
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‘We’re ready to go to people’s court’

Special Correspondent

Janata Dal (S) leaves decision on transfer of power to Deve Gowda

Chief Minister not averse to dishonouring pact
Deve Gowda to meet Rajnath Singh after PAC meet

— Photo: Sampath Kumar G.P.

Crucial decision: A section of the crowd at the Janata Dal (S) executive committee meeting in Bangalore on Thursday.

Bangalore: A meeting of the State executive committee of the Janata Dal (Secular) held on Thursday passed a one-line resolution authorising party president and former Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda to take a final decision on the transfer of power to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy, Mr. Deve Gowda and the party State unit president Merajuddin Patel strongly criticised the coalition partner, with Mr. Deve Gowda even saying that he would rather go the “people’s court” than hand over power to the BJP.

BJP targeted

The Chief Minister had strong words for the BJP, saying he preferred to “dishonour the agreement” made with the BJP in January 2006 than “hand over charge to a party which approves a criminal complaint against a Chief Minister. Imagine the fate of the common man in the hands of such a party. I am sure people will pardon me for dishonouring the promise rather than facing communal violence and other activities of a political party known for dividing people on communal lines.”

Mr. Deve Gowda said that February 3, 2006 [the day on which the Janata Dal-S-BJP coalition was formed] was “one of the worst days” in his nearly five decades of political life. It was on that day that his son (Mr. Kumaraswamy) “in the company of a young group of legislators decided to align with the BJP”.

Referring to the present moment as one that liberated him from a curse, he said that he was happy that “Mr. Kumaraswamy and the legislators have realised their mistake and returned to the party.”

Mr. Deve Gowda said he would call on BJP president Rajnath Singh soon after the Political Affairs Committee meeting and place all the facts before him.

“If the BJP president feels like replying let him do so. We are ready to hear him out,” he said. No BJP leader held any discussions with him on power transfer, Mr. Kumaraswamy said. “I am not the one to cling to the Chief Minister’s chair. But none of them cared to meet me and have only complained through the media. The BJP has been doing this all through the last 20 months.”

Ready for polls: Patel

Mr. Merajuddin Patel said his party would gear up for elections.

The party had done beyond expectations in the municipal elections and was confident that the people would support the party in the Assembly elections.

Others who spoke included Home Minister M.P. Prakash; chairman of the Janata Dal (S) Parliamentary Board, D. Manjunath; Housing Minister D.T. Jayakumar; party general secretary Y.S.V. Datta, and vice-president of the State unit of party Thippeswamy.

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