Congress, JD(S) relations strain further

The strains in the Congress and JD(S) relationship deepened on Monday with JD(S) supremo H D Deve Gowda talking of elections in Karnataka and convening his party's national executive on February 8 to chalk out the future course of action.

A day after his meeting BJP leader Atal Bihari Vajpayee that fuelled speculation, he told reporters that review of relationship with Congress does not necessarily mean going with BJP for forming a government "but may be going back to the people (elections)".

Reacting to Gowda, chief minister N Dharam Singh said the state was not going to polls immediately but the Congress is prepared to face them whenever they come.

Gowda's comments assume significance in the context of ruptures in the Congress-JD(S) alliance after Congress high command's decision to leave it to the state unit to possibly tie up with rebel JD(S) leader Siddaramaiah in the post-zilla parishad poll situation.

"There is some sort of deviation from the understanding when we have formed the coalition government. The people who have been expelled for indiscipline and for destabilising my party, when they (Congress) wanted to have some understanding in some districts, is it not a deviation from original understanding," Gowda said.

Upset with the Congress reportedly in favour of striking an alliance with Gowda's arch rival Siddaramaiah after the zilla panchayat elections which threw a hung verdict, Gowda said that the new situation will be discussed in the party forum of district presidents and district office bearers and then at the national executive on February 8.

The chief minister said "everything will be sorted out. The coalition government will continue in Karnataka. After all it is a coalition government and small hic-cups will be there."

He said it was decision of the Congress high command to give full freedom to the state unit on the alliances and he will talk to the party leadership.

Gowda said that he will meet Gandhi after the national executive "because when we formed the coalition, I told her, if there is any strained relationship in the future in the coalition, I will come and report to her. Deviation has given some strain to the relationship."

He said, he had never attacked Gandhi, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh or the chief minister "despite suffering humiliations".