The Janata Dals strategy to convene an assembly session to seek a confidence vote to stall further desertions from its ranks has failed with another newly elected MLC joining the Hegde group yesterday. However, the six legislators who joined Hegdes non-political outfit on Tuesday declared their loyalty to the J H Patel government.
After a late night meeting of the cabinet on Tuesday, Chief Minister J H Patel had announced that a one-day session of the legislature has been convened on January 27 to seek a trust vote. The decision was arrived at after consulting former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda and state unit chief B L Shankar.
Reacting to this ploy R V Deshapande, who had led a team of two ministers and three MLAs to Hegdes Rastriya Nava Nirmana Vedike (RNNV), declared: We have not quit the Dal. We continue to support Patel. There is no need for a vote of confidence.
He said that using the confused situation, Deve Gowda and Shankar may try to topple the Patel ministry, adding that we will do our best to ensure that the Patel government continues in power. According to Deshapande, more ministers and legislators would join the RNNV in the coming days.
However, sugar minister Umesh Katti, who was planning to quit the ministry and join the RNNV has postponed his move as Union human resources minister S R Bommai has prevailed upon him not to quit the party.
Katti told Business Standard, I am in the process of consulting my constituents and will make up my mind in a few days time. He refused to join nine other JD MLA`s from Belgaum district who met Patel to express their solidarity. V D Hegde, a newly-elected member of the state legislative council on the JD ticket, announced his decision to join the RNNV. He said most of the party functionaries and local body members of JD in Kanara district would join the RNNV soon. According to RNNV sources, three more JD legislators, P C Siddanagouder, S Bidaroor and Akki from Dharwad district would join RNNV by tomorrow.
The decision of those legislators aligning with RNNV to continue to support the Patel ministry stems from the fact that on the eve of Lok Sabha polls Hegde cannot afford to dislodge a Lingayat Chief Minister. Hegde`s support base too happens to be the major Lingayat community, which dominates northern Karnataka, considered to be bastion of Hegde. In order to protect his base while keeping the heat on JD, RNNV leaders said the Hegde group would make an all out effort to get as many Lingayat MLA`s to join them.
Meanwhile, the Lok Shakti leadership yesterday questioned the need for a vote of confidence since it was not interested in toppling the Patel ministry. Describing the move to seek confidence vote as an uncalled act of heroism, Lok Shakti state unit president Jeevaraj Alva told reporters here we are not for instability till parliamentary elections are over.
Lok Shakti, he said, was not targetting Patel but was aiming to liquidate Janata Dal. Alva termed as illogical, unethical and undemocratic the move to convene the one-day session on January 27 after three ministers and an equal number of MLAs joined a non-political forum floated by Hegde.
Alva said the ministers and MLAs who joined hands with Hegde had not raised doubts about Patels leadership and in fact had spoken highly of him. We still have a well-meaning relationship with Patel.
He announced that V D Hegde, newly elected member of the legislative council from Uttara Kannada, has joined the Rashtreeya Nava Nirmana Vedike but the legislator would remain in the Janata Dal.
