JD (S) is a pillar of Third Front: Deve Gowda

Bangalore, May 13 (ANI): JD(S) chief H D Deve Gowda has rejected speculation that his party is parting ways with the Third Front, and joining the Congress-led coalition.

These speculations fueled after Congress president Sonia Gandhi's meeting with H. D. Kumaraswamy last night.

"There is no rift in JD-S and it's still the pillar of the Third Front. We have an important role to play in government formation," Deve Gowda said, addressing a press conference here.

Defending his son, Kumaraswamy's, meeting with the Congress president, Gowda said, " Don't read too much into the Sonia-Kumaraswamy meet. He met her as former chief minister of Karnataka."

Dispelling reports that the Third Front was not intact, Gowda said the coalition will play an important part in government formation.

"I am not interested in becoming a King or a King maker", while maintaining that the government formation was not possible at the Centre without the Third Front.

The Sonia-Kumaraswamy meeting on Tuesday triggered intense speculation whether the JD-S would also abandon the Third Front after the TRS led by K Chandrashekar Rao dumped the Front and jumped on the NDA bandwagon on Sunday. (ANI)