The Hindu : New Delhi News : I will take up MoU issue after trust vote: Yeddyurappa

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Saturday, Nov 17, 2007
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New Delhi

I will take up MoU issue after trust vote: Yeddyurappa

Special Correspondent

‘Deve Gowda’s proposal is in the form of suggestions’

B.S. Yeddyurappa

NEW DELHI: Chief Minister B.S. Yeddyurappa said here on Friday that he would discuss with Janata Dal (S) leaders the proposal for a memorandum of understanding (MoU) by Janata Dal (Secular) president H.D. Deve Gowda after the vote of confidence on Monday.

Speaking to presspersons on his maiden visit to New Delhi after taking over as the Chief Minister, he denied that the proposal was in the form of conditions and emphasised that they were only suggestions.

“They are not conditions. They are suggestions. We [BJP and Janata Dal(S)] will sit and discuss them across the table after the vote of confidence on November 19,” he said.

He ruled out any signed agreement with the Janata Dal (S). He recalled that there was no written agreement between the two parties when H.D. Kumaraswamy became the Chief Minister and said there was no need for a signed agreement now too. It was, he said, “very important” for the two parties to have faith in each other.

He expressed the confidence that he would be able to prove the majority during the vote of confidence and that the new Government would complete the remaining 19 months of the tenure of the Legislative Assembly.

“There is a good understanding and perfect coordination between the coalition partners. I enjoy a good rapport with the Janata Dal (S) leadership, including Mr. Deve Gowda and Mr. Kumaraswamy,” he said.

He said the Government would lay stress on maintaining law and order and communal harmony and ensuring the safety of minorities, weaker sections such as Scheduled Castes and Schedule Tribes and women.

The Government’s priorities will include rural development, agriculture, removal of regional imbalances, employment generation and poverty alleviation and upgrading infrastructure.

The information technology and biotechnology sectors would be encouraged and investments and industrial pea-ce would be promoted. The Government would strive to have friendly and constructive relation with the Union Government, he added.

New helipads

Mr. Yeddyurappa also announced that four new helipads would be built in and around Bangalore to ensure smooth movement of VVIPs, including the heads of government, diplomats, investors and heads of corporate and industrial houses.

He said the helipads would come up at Electronics City, Palace Ground, Hindustan Aeronautics Limited and Peenya Industrial Area.

Mr. Yeddyurappa said a private developer has been selected for the construction of minor airports in Gulbarga and Shimoga under a public-private partnership arrangement. Agreements would be signed with the developer soon, he added.

Mr. Yeddyurappa met senior leaders of his party, including Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha L.K. Advani and party president Rajnath Singh, and discussed the political situation in the State and matters relating to Ministry making. The Chief Minister also made courtesy calls on President Pratibha Patil and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and visited Rajghat.

‘Smooth affair’

Meanwhile, party spokesperson Ravi Shankar Prasad said, “The BJP has no apprehensions. The trust vote will be a smooth affair, and the Government will run without problems.”

The Karnataka issue has figured at the meeting of the BJP Parliamentary Board over the last two days. The party wants to maintain unity within its ranks and, apparently, a formula has been worked out to ensure that MLAs loyal to the party general secretary Ananth Kumar are given Ministerial berths.

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