The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : Congress shuts door on government formation

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Saturday, Nov 24, 2007
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Karnataka

Karnataka - Bangalore

Congress shuts door on government formation

Special Correspondent

Mallikarjun Kharge rejects overtures from the Janata Dal (Secular)

Core committee meeting of senior leaders held
Janandolana campaign to be launched next month

Bangalore: Upset by the rumours that the Congress was still amenable to tactics by some disgruntled elements in the Janata Dal (Secular) for trying to form a government, Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee president M. Mallikarjun Kharge on Friday made it clear that the party had shut its doors on the issue once and for all and would not knock at the doors of others.

Addressing presspersons after a high-level core committee meeting of the senior leaders, Mr. Kharge said the meeting discussed various issues, including preparations for facing the elections and mobilising the party cadre for the crucial event.

He said that the party high command had time and again emphasised its position on dissolution of the Legislative Assembly and moved the subject in Parliament. It had also clarified to its leaders that there was no question of striking any alliance with the Janata Dal (Secular), he said.

The meeting was attended among others, by the Leaders of Opposition in the Legislature N. Dharam Singh and H.K. Patil, Congress Working Committee member G. Parameshwar, the former Deputy Chief Minister Siddaramiah, the former Minister Kagodu Thimmappa and the former Union Minister Srinivasa Prasad. The Karnataka Pradesh Youth Congress President Krishna Byregowda, was a special invitee.

Denying that the same subject was discussed in the meeting, Mr. Kharge pleaded with the journalists to believe him 100 per cent that the State unit had never tried to form the government at any time after the fall of the H.D. Kumaraswamy Government.

He said that the Janandolana campaign was aimed at explaining to the people, the power hungry politics of the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Janata Dal (Secular) and “dirty tricks” played by them in the last two months. The first phase of the campaign would be launched from Chitradurga district on December 6 or 7 followed by Davangere and Haveri.

Mr. Kharge said that the campaign would be held in other districts from December 12. He said that he would convene another meeting on December 1 for involving the Members of Parliament, MLAs, MLCs, the AICC members, presidents of party’s districts units and the candidates who were defeated in the 2004 elections in the Janandolana campaign. All these leaders would be invited to the meeting also.

The participants would be asked to tour the nook and corner of the State supervising the preparations made by the party units at the block-level for including the names of the voters in the electoral list. Not a single vote, which traditionally used to come to the party in the past, should be missed, he added.

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