JD(S) will disintegrate after mid-term polls: Yeddyurappa

Srirangapatna, Karnataka, Nov 27 (UNI) The Janata Dal(S), which had shown Karnataka in bad light due to ''murky politics'' played by its chief H D Deve Gowda, will 'disintegrate' after the Assembly elections, BJP leader B S Yeddyurappa claimed today.

Speaking to reporters after leading the party's 'Janajagruti Yatra' to highlight the 'betrayal' of the JD(S), he said there would be a straight fight between the BJP and Congress in the coming elections and the JD(S), which faced the threat of getting divided, would be 'wiped out'.

''The prominence of Karnataka, which was known for its matured politicians, has now hit the lowest ebb. The main culprits for this are Mr Gowda and his son former Chief Minister H D Kumarsawamy, who not only betrayed the people of Karnataka, but also put financial burden on the state forcing a mid-term poll,'' he said.

Dismissing Mr Gowda's contention on the floor of the Lok Sabha yesterday that the BJP was the party which first asked the JD(S) to sign on a stamp paper, he said the people of the state knew well that it was Mr Gowda who brought the 'stamp paper culture' and tried to force the BJP to sign the 12-point 'MoU', which led to the collapse of the seven-day-old BJP-led coalition.

The former Chief Minister also came down heavily on the Congress as well saying, ''To gain power it tried a 'back door entry' but was now blaming the BJP for the political situation in the state.'' He claimed that the yatra, launched from Bangalore yesterday, had been a tremendous success so far, as people lent overwhelming support to the BJP campaign.

UNI