JD-S rebel leader holds up new ministry formation

By IANS

Bangalore : Political uncertainty in Karnataka may prolong as Janata Dal-Secular (JD-S) rebel leader and former senior minister M.P. Prakash Sunday challenged the party’s move to support the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in forming a government.


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Janata Dal-Secular (JD-S) rebel leader and former senior minister M.P. Prakash may play spoilsport in the early formation of the new Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-JD-S coalition government in Karnataka.

Even as an anxious BJP waits for Karnataka Governor Rameshwar Thakur to revoke the president’s rule and invite its state legislative party leader B.S. Yediyurappa to form the new government, a defiant Prakash Sunday maintained that the JD-S support was invalid as the decision was taken hastily in violation of the party constitution.

He said the decision was taken by a section of the JD-S under the leadership of former chief minister H.D. Kumaraswamy Saturday to extend unconditional support to the BJP.

Prakash told reporters here that he had convened a meeting of the party legislators Monday to decide the next course of action.

“I have already written to the governor not to take cognisance of the letter given by Kumaraswamy supporting the BJP to form a new government, as the decision was taken unilaterally without convening a meeting of our legislative party (JDLP) and giving notice to either me or other legislators to discuss such a crucial decision.

“I have also sought an appointment with the governor Monday to explain in detail why he should reject the letter of support and should not invite Yediyurappa to form a new government,” he said.

Prakash, who was “authorised” by the party legislators last week to explore possibilities of formation of a new coalition government with the Congress to prevent dissolution of the state assembly and avoid early polls, reiterated that many party legislators were still against aligning with the BJP to form a government again.

“As several of our legislators are against early polls, I was exploring forming an alternative government with the Congress, as the BJP not only withdrew support to the Kumaraswamy government, but also favoured early elections in the state and launched a campaign against our party on the power transfer issue across the state.

“Though majority of our legislators are against early polls, there was no consensus, much less any collective decision, to join hands with the BJP again and form a government with it to prevent the dissolution of the lower house,” Prakash pointed out.

Asserting that more than half of the 57 JD-S legislators were backing him to align with the Congress to form the next government, Prakash said he was confident of winning back the remaining legislators to prevent a BJP-JD-S government formation.

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