Siddaramaiah to defy whip for polls

Bangalore, Mar 21: All India Progressive Janata Dal (AIPJD) leader Siddaramaiah today (Mar 21, 2006) said he will vote for Jnanpeeth awardee U R Ananthamurthy in the March 28 Rajya Sabha elections from Karnataka and defy any whip issued by the JD (Secular) Legislature Party.

Talking to newspersons here, the former Deputy Chief Minister, who had been suspended from JD(S) along with seven other Legislators, hoped that the JD(S)LP would not issue any whip. ''In the event of any whip being issued, I will defy it,'' he declared.

He said he had supported the candidature of Dr Ananthamurthy to highlight the fact that it was becoming a habit in the State's politics to promote outsiders for Rajya Sabha polls, instead of looking for a prominent personality within the State. Those from other States hardly do any justice to their election to take up the cause of the State or save the State's interest in the Upper House of Parliament, he added.

It may be recalled that JD(S)LP leader and Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy had hit out at the candidature of the eminent litterateur, questioning his contribution to the State and Kannada.

UNI