| In his place, the JD(S) has appointed M P Prakash. |
| Earlier in the day, the two warring factions in JD(S) held parallel legislature party meetings with the Deve Gowda camp setting the stage for ouster of rebel leader Siddaramaiah from the deputy chief ministership. |
| JD(S) MLAs loyal to party leader Gowda held a meeting where in senior leader and minister M P Prakash took over as JD(S)LP leader in place of Siddaramaiah. |
| Gowda's supporters, who clearly outnumber Siddaramaiah's supporters, have insisted that the latter should be dropped from the ministry as also two other ministers H C Mahadevappa and Satish Jarkiholi loyal to him. |
| JD(S) has already submitted a letter to the assembly Speaker Krishna conveying the party's decision to remove Siddaramaiah as JD(S)LP leader and appoint Prakash in his place. |
| Beleaguered Siddaramaiah has refused to budge, asserting he would not yield to the demand for stepping down as deputy chief minister and is holding a parallel legislature party meeting later in the evening. |
| It is still not clear what moves Siddaramaiah would make at the meeting to face the offensive of the Gowda camp. |
| Siddaramaiah and Gowda have been at loggerheads in recent months over managing the party affairs but it came to a boil a fortnight ago when Siddaramaiah defied the former prime minister to attend a convention of backward classes, minorities and dalits at Hubli, where he was projected as chief ministerial candidate. |
| Earlier, addressing the legislature party meeting, Prakash also criticised Siddaramaiah for "denting" the image of the party by his actions in identifying with Gowda's political adversaries. |
| Coming down heavily on Siddaramaiah for his statements that backward classes, dalits and minorities have remained exploited, Prakash said it was the Janata parivar parties which worked out majority of welfare programmes for social and economic empowerment of these sections. |
| Prakash explained to the partymen the 27 per cent reservation it accorded to backward classes and reservation to women in panchayats, a progressive step that later became a national law by a constitution amendment to panchayat raj act,among others. |
| "One should not view power as a tool for glorification and it should be deployed for heralding socio-economic changes," he said, obviously referring to Siddaramaiah's supporters projecting him as leader of oppressed sections and future chief minister of the state. |
| "The responsibility one gets is a grace. He should also conduct himself in a graceful manner," Prakash said referring to Siddaramaiah's defiance of party leadership. |
| He admitted that the legislature party had no constitution at present and said efforts would be made to draft one soon. |
| Officer-bearers of the JD(S) legislative party such as secretary, whip and others would be appointed soon, he said. |
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