JD(S) legislators favour transfer of power to BJP

Bangalore, Oct 3 (UNI) Majority of the Janata Dal(S) legislators are of the opinion that the party should hand over the Chief Minister's post to the BJP as agreed upon and avert a mid-term poll in Karnataka.

According to top party sources, they aired such sentiments in yesterday's prolonged Legislature Party meeting convened by Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy in his official residence 'Krishna', after the two coalition partners remained at loggerheads over the power shift issue.

They said in one voice that the state should not be imposed with a mid-term election which was not in the interest of the party.

The legislators who have asked to express their 'frank opinion' on the issue of transfer of power, said that JD(S) should continue in the Karnataka Development Front(KDF) government rather than face a premature election and avoid at all costs the dissolution of the state assembly.

The legislators reportedly poured their woes openly and appealed to the party leaders to tread most cautiously.

Their unwillingness to go for mid-term poll despite party's big success in the urban local body elections was because that the results was not the real barometer for Assembly polls.

Many legislators also expressed fear of facing the party workers' wrath as JD(S) had not accommodated them to the Boards and Corporations.

However the legislators also expressed unhappiness over the attitude of BJP leaders who indulged in 'tail-twisting' to force JD(S) leaders to hand over power. They wanted the party to get clear assurances from BJP to contain its leaders in Bellary who had waged a 'tirade' against Mr Kumaraswamy.

The outburst of BJP former minister Sriramulu against former Mr Deve Gowda and Mr Kumaraswamy also came up for serious discussion and drew severe criticism, the sources added.

Briefing newsmen yesterday, after the JDLP meeting state JD(S) chief Merajuddin Patel had said Mr Kumaraswamy had expressed his willingness to step down immediately, however legislators dissuaded him from doing so.

The legislators also asked CM not to take any hasty action on the resignations submitted by BJP ministers and wait for final outcome in the October-5 National Executive meeting scheduled.

UNI