K'taka: No problem with transfer of power to BJP

New Delhi, Jan 6: JD (S) supremo and former Prime Minister H DDeve Gowda has said there would be no problem in the transfer of powerto the BJP in Karnataka in the next ten months or so.

Mr Gowda said the policies and programmes of his party in 1999(meaning equidistance from BJP and Congress shall be the basis forextending cooperation to the NDA at the Centre. "I have no reservationsbut it depends on the nature of issues," Mr Gowda told the RSSmouthpieces Organisr in an interview.

Reiterating his views expressed at the recently concluded MrKumaraswamy National Executive which revoked the suspension ofKarnataka Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy and 38 other MLAs in thestate, Mr Gowda said the only precondition was the coalition shouldstrictly adhere to the agreed agenda of Karnataka Development Front.

The BJP, as a national party, was free to carry on its policiesand programmes at the national level but should adhere to KDF, Mr H DDeve Gowda added.

Mr Deve Gowda's comments came after BJP President Rajnath Singh'sdeclaration at Lucknow that Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister B SYediyurappa will be the party's nominee for the Chief Minister's postin the last lap of 20 months of the present assembly.

On the possibility of mid-term poll in Karnataka, the former PrimeMinister said there were no plans for such elections unless it wasforced by national political events.

Mr Deve Gowda who aligned with Congress for the initial 20 monthsto run the government in Karnataka saw a a contrast in his party'srelationship with the core constitutient of the UPA and the BJP for thelast three years. The local Congress leaders had targetted him makingall kinds of baseless allegations against him and tried to draw a wedgebetween the then Deputy Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and himself. When aBJP MLC sought levelled murky allegations, his party had suspended thelegislators for fabricating charges in collusion with Congress leaders.

Answering questions on the revival of third front ahead of LokSabha elections, Mr Deve Gowda said national events would overtake allpolitical predictions, whether one called it third front orpolarisation or a new political platform.

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