The Hindu : National : We closed the gates to BJP in south: Gowda

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Tuesday, Nov 27, 2007
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We closed the gates to BJP in south: Gowda

NEW DELHI: Taking on the Bharatiya Janata Party and others who said his party was no longer secular, the former Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda on Monday told the Lok Sabha that the Janata Dal (Secular) closed the gates to south India for the saffron party.

He was participating in a discussion on the resolution for approval of President’s Rule in Karnataka.

As for who betrayed whom, Mr. Gowda said, “People will decide.” Countering the accusation that he was power-hungry, he said he had given up ministerial office thrice.

Earlier, Ananth Kumar (BJP) said that “the only language Mr. Gowda knows is the language of betrayal.”

Pointing out the people were tired of frequent polls, Tejashwini Seeramesh (Congress) said the JD(S) used the word secularism to suit its convenience.

Varkala Radhakrishnan (CPI-M) favoured the scrapping of Article 356 and said if it had to be retained, there should be a provision for Parliament’s approval before any Assembly is dissolved.

While the JD(S) was at the receiving end most of the time, the Congress too came in for criticism from BJP members, particularly Prahlad Joshi, who accused it of trying to stay in government on the JD(S) crutches though it was rejected by the electorate in 2004.

Why delay, asks Naidu

Initiating the discussion in the Rajya Sabha, M. Venkaiah Naidu (BJP) accused the Congress of trying to split the JD(S) and return to power through the back door. He questioned the delay in asking the BJP-led coalition to form a government. “Without loss of further time, approach the Election Commission to ensure that elections are held at the earliest, if you have the confidence to face the people,” he said.

Reiterating his party’s position against disturbing any popular government which enjoyed a majority in the legislature, D. Raja (CPI) said President’s Rule was inevitable in Karnataka. “If the House is not dissolved, it would encourage opportunism and horse-trading.”

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