Dal Targets Pro-Hegde Elements To Ensure Smooth Ride For Gowda

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Since the Prime Minister is seeking election to Rajya Sabha from the state, we wanted to tell pro-Hegde elements to behave or face the axe said a senior Dal functionary, describing the action. R V Deshapande has been a staunch Hegde follower. In a sudden move by the chief minister on Monday, he was stripped off mega infrastructure projects involving around Rs 20,000 crore over next seven years.

The Deve Gowda group in the JDLP has been gunning for the scalps of Hegde loyalist ministers for long but had not succeeded so far. Apart from Deshapande, revenue minister Ramesh Jigajinagi, forest minister Gurupadappa, Bangalore development minister Anant Nag, education minister B Somashekhar and six other ministers remain suspects in the eyes of the Gowda group.

Hegde has been claiming that his Rashtra Nava Nirman Vedike has around 28 MLAs, including ministers. They were ready to quit their Assembly membership if need be to join the RNNV, but according to Hegde, the Vedike has been persuading them not to risk their membership now. According to a minister from the Gowda group this is only a teaser and if need be we will force the Chief Minister to sack all of them and we will expel a few to discipline them.

Interestingly, the development occurred after a three-hour week end discussion Chief Minister Patel had with Prime Minister Deve Gowda in Bangalore. However, according to a source, to make his position safe,Patel spent an hour with Hegde on Sunday night and apprised him of the moves that were afoot. Deshapande remained incommunicado throughout the day. RNNV leaders said the action did not surprise us since we were kept informed of it.

It is certain that Prime Minister Deve Gowda would be filing his nomination papers to contest the lone Rajya Sabha seat from Karnataka. The Prime Minister will be arriving in Bangalore on September 17 to file his papers the next day, the last day for filing papers. Under normal circumstance it should have been a cakewalk for the PM as he only needs a simple majority of MLAs to win. However, with Hegde's ghost haunting the JDLP, and the combined opposition, toying with the idea of fielding a common candidate, it may not be such a smooth affair for Gowda.

The ruling JD has 110 members in the House of 216. The BJP has a strength of 38 and the Congress 36. KCP of Bangarappa has four MLAs and five MLAs of the breakaway KCP are with the JD. Maharashtra Ekikarana Samiti (MES) has three, BSP, Vatala Party, RPI, AIADMK one each. There are 11 independents.

The ruling party has started efforts to get Gowda elected unopposed, but the BJP-Congress combine seems to have other ideas. According to sources even S Bangarappa, who has extended his support to the UF government in Delhi, may join ranks with the opposition to embarrass Gowda. Bangarappa, who is irked because Gowda got the CBI to raid his residence in a pending case, had two rounds of meetings with RNNV convenor Alva and is slated to meet Hegde on September 18. The combined opposition may field Patil Puttappa, a veteran journalist and former Rajyasabha member as its common candidate. RNNV leaders too have endorsed the move to field Patil Puttappa, in their bid to, as a leader described give sleepless nights and a possible embarrassment to Gowda.

, on his home turf, if not hand over defeat to him.