'JD(S) to take out padayatra to strengthen party base'

After the rout in the recent Lok Sabha election, Janata Dal (Secular) Saturday decided to take out a statewide 'padayatra' to strengthen the party base.

But, the date of the march was yet to be decided but it would be sometime in August, party sources told PTI Saturday.

JD (S) supremo and former prime minister H D Deve Gowda told party leaders that the aim of the padayatra was not to hurt his partys ally in the government, Congress.

I want to make it clear to you that our programmes should not hurt the coalition government, which was formed by a national party (Congress) and a regional party (JD-S) which came together for a secular ideology," Gowda said.

Gowda, however, emphasised on the strong presence of a regional party to support the yatra.

"Without a regional party, the two national parties (Congress, BJP) cannot solve our problems. If there is no regional party, national parties do not pay due attention to us," Gowda said.

The statewide march comes a week after Gowda said that mid-term poll was imminent.

His statement underlined the growing divide between the coalition partners Congress and the JD(S) after the poll debacle.

As the statement led to a major controversy, Gowda retracted saying that he was speaking only about the local body elections.

The friction between the two parties started after the embarrassing defeat of Congress and JD(S) in the Parliamentary polls.

Both the parties could secure only one seat each out of 28 seats.

Gowda and his grandson Nikhil Kumaraswamy were among those who lost in the election whereas BJP secured 25 seats while an independent candidate Sumalatha Ambareesh, backed by BJP, won by defeating Nikhil.

Amid the blame-game, the JD(S) state president A H Vishwanath resigned saying that his party supremo was made to trust and then cheated which resulted in his defeat in Tumakuru.

He also underlined the lack of coordination between the two parties.

This was followed by chief minister H D Kumaraswamys Grama Vastavya, the village stay programme.

The JD(S) has intensified its exercise to strengthen its party base by holding meetings with the party workers at the grassroots-level.

Nikhil has been meeting the party workers in places where the party has a stranglehold.

Recently, his video too went viral where he told the workers to be battle-ready.