JD(S) can as well Merge with Congress: Sadananda Gowda
The Hindu

BANGALORE, May 19: Bolstered by the party’s good performance in the Lok Sabha polls in the State, Bharatiya Janata Party State unit president D.V. Sadananda Gowda on Monday taunted the Janata Dal (S) saying it should merge with the Congress instead of having an “understanding” with that party.

“The JD (S) should merge with the Congress and fight us (BJP) directly instead of trying to resist us indirectly by having a tacit understanding with the Congress,”  Sadananda Gowda told presspersons here.

He pointed out that the alleged tacit understanding between the two Opposition parties in the State did not have any impact on the BJP, which won 19 Lok Sabha seats as against the combined tally of nine by the Opposition. As the tacit understanding had failed, the other option was to go for merger, he remarked.

He claimed that the statement by JD (S) leader H.D. Kumaraswamy that they were ready to discuss with the Congress on extending support to the UPA government at the Centre was a clear indication that both the parties had a tacit understanding in the State.

Charging the UPA government with adopting a step-motherly attitude towards Karnataka, he said the Congress in the State had paid the price for such an attitude of its government at the Centre as it put up a poor show in the Lok Sabha polls.

“The poll result is a warning bell to the Congress that it would have to face the wrath of people if it did not treat all the States equally,” the BJP State unit chief said.

Gowda said the BJP was growing in strength. Its vote share increased from 27.18 per cent (7 seats) in the Lok Sabha elections of 1999 to 34.77 per cent (18 seats) in 2004 and 42.33 per cent (19 seats) in 2009. But the vote share of the Congress had decreased from 45.41 per cent (18 seats) in 1999 to 38.53 per cent (six seats) in 2009 while that of the JD (S) too had fallen from 20.45 per cent (2 seats) in 2004 to 13.34 per cent (3 seats) in 2009, he noted.

Gowda said the party would analyse its performance in the Lok Sabha elections at a meeting of the State executive to be convened in about a month.

The meeting would discuss various things, including the low margin of victory in Bellary and the defeat in Kolar and a few other seats.

A legislature party meeting would also be held on May 21 to discuss the poll results and take stock of the political developments. Mr. Gowda appealed to the MPs from the State to desist from politicking when it came to development.

“We are ready to cooperate with the Congress at the Centre and also to protect the interests of the State on various issues, including Cauvery, Belgaum, Hogenakkal, and providing special status to the backward region of Hyderabad-Karnataka,” the BJP State unit chief said.

Gowda termed the alleged efforts by the JD (S) and the Congress to topple the BJP Government in the State as “day dreaming.”

He asserted that it was impossible for these two parties to topple the Government as it had a clear mandate from the people.

Answering queries regarding the possibility of a Cabinet reshuffle, he said it was a prerogative of the Chief Minister.