Congress and JD(S) not to participate in BSY's delegation tomorrow

New Delhi, Jul 1 (UNI) Questioning the intention of the all-party delegation led by Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa, the main opposition party in the state, Congress, today announced that it will not be part of tomorrow's delegation intended to tarnish the Centre's image ahead of the Lok Sabha elections.

Senior Congress leader and former Deputy Chief Minister M P Prakash, who is here, told newspersons that Mr Yeddyurappa at best could call tomorrow's meeting a BJP delegation as both Congress and Janata Dal (Secular) party legislators will not take part in the delegation. They want to malign the Centre for hiding the state's inefficient handling of fertiliser distribution.

The figures available with the Fertilisers Minister Ramvilas Paswan showed that the the state had piled up 50 per cent of the stocks and the Mr Yeddyurappa's delegation was only intended to tarnish the Centre's image, Mr Prakash alleged.

He said the Congress supported the demand to amend the provisions of Article 371 providing for Constitutional status to backward Hyderabad Karnataka Region Council.

The Congress also supported the demand to accord 'Classical Language' status to Kannada but the Chief Minister was taking up these demands only to rope in the political parties on these issue.

Both Congress and Janata Dal (Secular) legislators and MPs will be in Delhi on July 6 to separately press for these causes with Prime Minister and other Central leaders, Mr Prakash said. Leader of Opposition and KPCC President M Mallikarjuna Kharge will be in the national capital, he said.

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