Karnataka - Bangalore   

Prakash group joins Congress

BANGALORE: After dilly-dallying for three months, the M.P. Prakash faction of the Janata Dal (Secular) on Saturday formally joined the Congress, after finalisation an understanding with the party high command in New Delhi on Friday.

The former Deputy Chief Minister and his faction, which included seven former JD(S) MLAs, walked into the Congress in the presence of Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee president M. Mallikarjun Kharge. Mr. Kharge welcomed leaders at the Congress Bhavan here and said the entry of Mr. Prakash and his followers would strengthen the party in the State on the eve of poll.

Mr. Prakash met Congress President Sonia Gandhi and general secretary in-charge of Karnataka Prithiviraj Chavan on Friday and finalised the terms of his group joining the Congress. “We had a useful talk for 20 minutes with Ms. Gandhi and we have agreed to follow the ideology and principles of the Congress,” Mr. Prakash told a press conference here on Saturday.

The prominent leaders to join the Congress are H.S. Mahadevaprasad, Amaregowda Bayyapura, Sharanabasappa Darshanapur, H. Ekantaiah, all former ministers and; Santosh Lad, Narasimha Naik, B.C. Patil and H. Anjaneya, all former MLAs. The former MLC B.R. Gurudev, who hails from Hassan district, and B. Chidananda, MLC, are the others who joined the Congress.

Earlier, Mr. Prakash told presspersons that the Congress leadership has assured party ticket to his group (former MLAs) in the Legislative Assembly elections, which is likely to be held in May. “We have joined the Congress without any conditions. Our sole objective is to bring back the Congress to power with absolute majority and provide a good Government to the people. The democratic Government is always better than the President’s rule,” Mr. Prakash said.

Mr. Prakash said many leaders and former legislators, coporators of Gulbarga and Hubli-Dharwad belonging to the JD (S) had decided to join the Congress. Leaders Muni Shamappa, S.M. Nagaraj, and Prafulla Madhukar, K.N. Rajanna, K. Balaraj, B.T. Channabasappa, Vasanth Bangera, and Rukmaya Poojary would join the Congress soon, he said. These leaders were close associates of Mr. Prakash and leaders who had broken ties with the JD (S) after the collapse of the Yeddyurappa Government.

“Joining the Congress is the first step. The next step is to face the elections. Coming election is a major challenge before us. We are ready to face elections any time,” Mr. Prakash said.

Asked about allegations made against him by his opponents, he said: “I feel my critics are more comfortable now.”

Mr. Prakash, who hailed the farmers’ loan waiver scheme announced in the Union Budget, said a farmers’ convention would be organised at Hospet in Bellary district in March end or April first week.

Ms. Sonia Gandhi and AICC general secretary Rahul Gandhi would be invited to the rally, he said. He thanked State Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge, Mr. Chavan and other party leaders for allowing his supporters to join the party.

Since elections would be held according to the recommendations of the Kuldip Singh Commission on delimitation of constituencies, Mr. Prakash himself would lose Hadagali, the constituency he represented in the last Assembly. “If the party allows me, I will contest from the nearby constituency,” he said. The return of the former Chief Minister S.M. Krishna to active politics and the entry of the Prakash group is expected to enhance the image of the Congress on the eve of poll. Of the former legislators who joined the Congress, a majority of them belong to the Lingayat community.

With the joining of Mr. Prakash, a leader of the Lingayat community, the Congress now can woo the dominant community, the main political base of the BJP. Mr. Kharge’s Dalit background is a crucial factor for the Congress.

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

Stories in this Section

Nipani CMC: JD(S) to expel its members
Three injured in explosion from gas leak
Seminar on corruption
KASSIA seeks tax concessions in State Budget
Prakash group joins Congress
Sankara Eye Hospital to be opened today
Remarks of CJ criticised
Awards given away
BSNL schemes
Space woes greet police at Devanahalli airport
Security issues taken stock of
BBMP jurisdiction
‘Library cess funds not being released’
Mangesh Hadawale bags Lankesh Film Award
A complete art experience
Science meet
Bank penalised
Budget to have more for women
Official postings
Bomb scare disrupts test at dental college
Parents of schoolgirl to file complaint
Arrested on harassment charge
RTI Act has helped check corruption, says CIC
Domestic workers take a day off from routine tasks

Copyright © 2008, The Hindu. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu