Kumaraswamy misses date with BJP leaders

Janata Dal (S) leader and chief minister-designate of Karnataka H D Kumaraswamy created a flutter among BJP leaders in Delhi by failing to turn up for a scheduled meeting with former prime minister Atal Behari Vajpayee and former party president L K Advani.

While senior BJP leader and observer for the state Venkaiah Naidu said nothing much should be read into the cancellation of the visit, some leaders said a last minute appeal from Kumaraswamy's father, former prime minister Deve Gowda, to reconsider his alliance with the BJP was giving them anxious moments.

With Kumaraswamy scheduled to take oath on February 3, deputy chief minister-designate B S Yediyurappa, state BJP chief Jagdish Shettar and party's general secretary from the state Ananth Kumar have also rushed to the capital. The JD(S)-BJP government will seek vote of confidence on February 8 or 10.

In another development, the Karnataka High Court today issued notices to H D Kumaraswamy and 35 other JD(S) "rebel" MLAs and Speaker Krishna on a petition challenging Kumaraswamy's recognition as JD(S) Legislature Party leader. While ordering issuance of notices, Justice Ajit J Gunjal referred the case to a Division Bench.

Meanwhile, Dharam Singh today met Congress President Sonia Gandhi in Delhi.

Sources close to him said he was still "cautiously optimistic" over continuation of the Congress-led government in the hope that Deve Gowda would be able to persuade his son to leave the BJP and return to the "secular" fold.