Alliance with JD(S) only issue based: Chavan

Bangalore, Aug 13 (UNI) All India Congress Committee General Secretary and incharge of Karnataka Prithvi Raj Chavan today said the alliance with Janata Dal (Secular) was only issue based.

Talking to newspersons here, Mr Chavan said, ''so far the alliance with JD(S) was only issue based whether it was for Rajya Sabha elections, Assembly or Council.'' ''It was issue based support extended to JD(S). As both of us are sitting in the opposition we have to expose the misdeeds of BJP government and hence there is nothing wrong in such alliance,'' he added.

Replying to a question on the possibility of Congress-JD(S) tie-up for the byelections due in Karnataka and former Chief Minister and JD(S) leader H D Kumaraswamy trying to meet Ms Sonia Gandhi in this regard, he said, '' the party High Command would take a decision on the issue and no external influence will work.'' On the appointment of new President for Pradesh Congress Committee, he said the process has already began. ''I have already started having dialogue with leaders of the party in this regard and hope the post would be filled soon. Till then Mr Mallikarjun Kharge, who had resigned to the post after assembly elections, would continue to hold it.'' Mr Chavan said he held discussions with senior leaders, including former Maharashtra Governor S M Krishna and former Deputy Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, on the present political situation and strategies to fight against the ruling BJP's one party agenda of criticising the Centre for its failures. ''If the Centre was against Karnataka how could the state's plan size for 2008-09 be increased by 46 per cent by the Planning Commission yesterday'', he added.

Replying to a question, he said ''that the three Congress MLAs, who became Ministers in the BJP government, went under inducment. Luring them with power and money shows that the Safforn Party is indulging in unethical practice.'' ''Those who joined BJP have betrayed the party and the electorate who had voted for them. People would teach them a lesson in the byelections,'' he added.

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