Kharge plays down reported meeting of Cong Legislators

Bangalore, Aug 3 (UNI) Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) president Mallikarjuna Kharge today played down the reported meeting of a group of Congress legislators, who were against the party forging an alliance again with Janata Dal(S) to form government in the state.

Speaking to newspersons at Airport, after receiving Prime Minister Manmohan Singh who was on a day's visit to the city, Mr Kharge said, ''no significance should be given to such meeting of a group of legislators who must have assembled for a routine dinner.'' The KPCC President also informed that majority of the people in the party were of the opinion that Congress should not have any truck with JD(S) or go for alliance for the second time to form government in the state.

The two parties had ran the government for about 20 months after the fractured mandate given by the people of the state in the 2004 elections. The government fell after a group of JD(S) legislators led by the present Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy fell out with the government.

Mr Kharge also denied rumours about the reports that Congress High Command was inclined to forge alliance with JD(S) to form government to deny BJP from coming to power.

A group of Congress legislators including many former Ministers had met in a hotel and reportedly registered strong reservation against any move to have a tie-up with JD(S). The legislators also decided to meet party higher-ups in New Delhi and convince them against going back to JD(S) to form government, taking into account the past experience.

UNI