The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : JD(S) leadership woos Prakash faction

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Dec 08, 2007
ePaper

Karnataka

Karnataka - Bangalore

JD(S) leadership woos Prakash faction

S. Rajendran

Six former legislators patch up with leadership, 10 more are still with Prakash

BANGALORE: Many former legislators who had associated themselves with the former Deputy Chief Minister M.P. Prakash and had even threatened to leave the Janata Dal (Secular) have dropped their plans.

Sources in the party told The Hindu here on Friday that at least six of the 16 legislators had heeded the plea of the former Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy who requested them to remain with the party. The former Minister N. Cheluvarayaswamy, who had worked in tandem with Mr. Prakash, is now stated to be working for the party leadership. Mr. Kumaraswamy, who spoke to Mr. Prakash on Wednesday, is expected to meet him on Saturday.

While Mr. Cheluvarayaswamy, H.C.Balakrishna, Vijayalakshmi Bandisidde Gowda, Nagamani Nage Gowda, H. Anjaneya and others are set to return to the mainstream of the party, there are at least 10 other former legislators who have decided to rally behind Mr. Prakash. They include Mahadev Prasad, Amare Gowda Bayyapur, M.Y. Patil, Santosh Lad, B.C. Patil and K.N. Rajanna. Mr. Prakash told The Hindu that the next meeting of the “likeminded legislators” would be held on December 12 . In all 19 legislators, including 16 MLAs, attended the first of the “like-minded legislators” meeting held a week ago. Most of the legislators present at the meeting were those who had extended support to Mr. Prakash recently to finalise an agreement with the Congress.

In another development, the former Minister G.T. Deve Gowda has turned down the request of Mr. Kumaraswamy not to leave the party. Mr. G.T. Deve Gowda is likely to join the BJP at a rally in Mysore on December 13.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Karnataka