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Gowda hopes Jayalalithaa will join third front

Special Correspondent

Jayalalithaa has no problem with Mayawati: Gowda
“Decision on final shape of front after Lok Sabha polls”

NEW DELHI: The former Prime Minister and Janata Dal (Secular) president, H.D. Deve Gowda, on Saturday expressed confidence that the former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and All-India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam supremo, Jayalalithaa, would be part of the third front.

Noting that he had held two rounds of discussions with Ms. Jayalalithaa over telephone and that Communist Party of India general secretary A.B. Bardhan had a meeting with her, Mr. Gowda said her response was very positive.

He also pointed out that she was opposed to the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance and had condemned the recent attacks on minorities.

Asked whether the presence of both Ms. Jayalalithaa and Bahujan Samaj Party leader and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati in the third front could pose a problem, he denied that there would be any issue

. “Ms. Jayalalithaa’s main rival is the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam led by Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi. She has no problem with Ms. Mayawati,” he pointed out.

Meeting next month

Mr. Gowda said he had met CPI(M) leader Prakash Karat, Telugu Desam Party leader N. Chandrababu Naidu and Mr. Bardhan and together they would fine-tune the consolidation of the third front.

He said he would meet Ms. Jayalalithaa next month.

The structure of the third front would become clear by the first week of January. Its final shape would, however, be decided after the Lok Sabha elections, depending on the results, Mr. Gowda added.

Bangalore rally

On the recent rally in Bangalore where his son and former Chief Minister, H.D. Kumaraswamy, took over as the State president of the party, he said both the Congress and the BJP seemed to have been totally taken aback by the “massive” turnout. No one had reacted so far, except for senior Congress leader, Siddaramaiah, who was his close confidant till a few years ago, he said.

On complaints that the rally posed lot of difficulties for the people, he noted that Mr. Kumaraswamy had apologised to the people for the inconvenience. He said perhaps there was need for a permanent venue for such rallies and public meetings outside Bangalore. “Frankly, even I did not expect such a gathering. It was unprecedented.”

It was clear that the people were angry with the State government and that they were for a non-BJP, non-Congress arrangement, he said. “Some people thought that we are a dying, if not a dead party. The rally has proved them wrong.”

He declined to comment on reports of a recent meeting between Mr. Siddaramaiah and Chief Minister B.S. Yeddyurappa, except to say that Mr. Siddaramaiah perhaps wanted to convey some message to the Congress high command. “I do not want to interfere in the affairs of the Congress.”

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