JD crisis reaches flashpoint

BANGALORE, Oct 23 (UNI) — The crisis in the ruling Janata Dal in Karnataka reached a flashpoint tonight with former Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda asking Chief Minister J.H. Patel to test his strength in the Janata Dal Legislature Party (JDLP) meeting before the commencement of the assembly session on October 29.

Welcoming Mr Patel's remarks that he was ready to meet the challenge to his leadership either in the Assembly or in the JDLP, Mr Deve Gowda speaking to newsmen here, urged Mr Patel to convene the JDLP meeting on October 26 or 27 and "seek a vote of confidence from the party legislators."

Talking to newsmen here, he said: "I am not scared of any threat by anyone to me or to my government". Stating that he was not happy with the present crisis in the ruling Janata Dal, Mr Patel said: "I will stay and meet any challenge " even inside the Janata Dal Legislature Party (JDLP).

Asked whether he foresaw a split in the party, Mr Patel said "I will not allow such a situation to develop". If there was a split and the assembly was dissolved, "everybody is doomed", he warned.

On whether President’s rule would be imposed in the state, the Chief Minister declared: "No, not at all".

Replying to another question, he said there was no stumbling block in his meeting with senior party leader and former Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda, who is present holding consultations with dissident Dal legislators here. Mr Patel said there was no issue on which he and Mr Gowda had divergent views. Mr Gowda had said he would talk to him and Mr S.R. Bommai after his talks with the dissident MLAs, the Chief Minister said.

Asked about the postponement of the JDLP meeting, he said it would be held during the legislature session beginning October 29. He ruled out cancellation of the session.

Mr Patel, whose leadership has been questioned by some dissident legislators, said he did not foresee any horse-trading. Asked about the numbers game being played by the dissident legislators, Mr Patel said encouragement of such "political debauchery" was in bad taste.

The legislators had been sent to the assembly by the people so that they could give sufficient attention to their problems. "Have they (legislators) got the right to indulge in this kind of activity," he asked.

To a question whether the party would take disciplinary action against the ministers and legislators who had revolted against his leadership, he said it would be discussed in the legislature party.

The Patel camp today witnessed a flurry of activity with legislators and ministers thronging the Chief Minister’s official residence, ‘Cauvery’.

In another development, Law Minister M.C. Nanaiah met the Governor, Mr Khursheed Alam Khan. Official sources described the visit as a "courtesy call".

However, sources close to Mr Nanaiah said the Governor had summoned him to get a first-hand report on the trouble in the ruling party.

BJP pursuing divisive policies: RLM

Tribune News Service

NEW DELHI, Oct 23 — The Rashtriya Loktantrik Morcha (RLM) today launched its campaign for the four state assembly elections with a blistering attack on the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for its all-round failure and said that the third front could alone provide a viable alternative to the people.

Addressing a rally here at the Ramlila Grounds here, the RLM leaders led by its president, Mr Mulayam Singh Yadav and the Rashtriya Janata Dal president, Mr Laloo Prasad Yadav mounted a frontal attack on the ruling coalition government at the Centre. They came down heavily on the BJP for trying to divide the country on communal lines and appealed to the people to vote for the third force, "which alone could prove a viable alternative to fight the onslaughts of the BJP".

Mr Laloo Prasad cautioned the people against the evil designs of the BJP which wanted to create a Hindu-Muslim divide and predicted that the days of the government at the Centre as well as in the Capital were numbered. "The BJP will be obliterated from the four states where the assembly elections are to be held in November," he said.

The morcha leaders who maintained a tacit silence on any possibility of a tie-up with the Congress throughout the four-hour rally, were consistent in their demand for consolidation of the third front votes to dislodge what they described as the "anti-people government".

The former Chief Minister of Bihar also took the opportunity to criticise the Janata Dal, saying that one of its leaders Mr Ram Bilas Paswan, was sitting in the lap of the BJP and the Samata Party, while the former Prime Minister, Mr H.D. Deve Gowda, was instrumental in dividing the party in Karnataka.

The former Bihar Chief Minister urged the over 25 lakh voters from his state who were settled in the Capital not to support Mr Paswan or vote for the Janata Dal as its base had been completely eroded in the country.

Mr Mulayam Singh Yadav attacked the Centre for the spiralling prices of essential commodities and the states ruled by the BJP for the rising crime graph and acute power and water crisis. He also blamed the BJP for creating a rift between the people in the name of religion and said that if it was allowed to rule further, the country might see another split.

The leaders declared that the parties which had united under the RLM banner would contest the assembly elections jointly.

Rashtriya Janata Party president Shankersinh Vaghela charged that the BJP leadership "lacked the art to rule." "They are very good in raising slogans and giving speeches but do not know how to rule," he claimed, adding that the party had no proper strategy to prepare the Budget. He however, added that the people should not be worried due to the failure of BJP or the Congress as the third front was "there to show them the way."

Mr Mulayam Singh Yadav, Mr Laloo Prasad and Mr Vaghela were of the view that the rise in the price of onions in the country or the adulteration of mustard oil in Delhi were created by the BJP as per a well-planned strategy to benefit traders and the business community. The leaders were of the view that the country needed onions more than nuclear bombs.

Claiming that the BJP and its leaders suffered from "a lust for power", the leaders said the manner in which they captured power in UP, Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh proved that they were masters of "political manipulation".

About the change of leadership in Delhi, the leaders claimed that Ms Sushma Swaraj had been brought in as the Chief Minister as the BJP leadership was "well aware that there days were numbered if the law and order situation or the price rise continued". A recent survey which had projected that the BJP was on its way out was also behind the decision to throw Mr Sahib Singh Verma out.