Hegde vows Lok Shakti, BJP support for Patel

“We still maintain that the Patel government is non-functional. But we prefer a non-functional government to another government (led by someone from the dissident group) which will be destructive and do positive harm to the people of the State,” he said.

The Lok Shakti leader said “I think so” when asked if his party would be capable of saving the Patel government. His argument is that Gowda will not able to mobilise more than 40 MLAs and even if this group broke away, the BJP with its 40 MLAs and the Lok Shakti’s seven could prop up Patel.

Asked if the BJP would agree to such anarrangement, Hegde said that it was implicit in the statements of the State BJP leaders.

He clarified that his party felt that the best course for Patel was to seek a fresh mandate.

However, the BJP said in Bangalore that it would make all-out efforts to bring down the government in view of its failures. About supporting the no-confidence motion to be moved by the Congress during the Assembly session beginning tomorrow, it said that when the BJP had moved a similar motion in 1996, the Congress instead of supporting it had walked out thus saving the day for the government.

To a question whether Patel had sought his help, Hegde said: “Officially he has not asked me. But I know his mind. He would prefer to take my help rather than that of those in his own party.”

Hegde’s utterances have added a new dimension to the crisis in the Karnataka Janata Dal as he still wields clout in that party. Seven JD MLAs who are officially members of the party are part of Hegde’s apolitical outfit, the RashtriyaNavanirmana Vedike. Given his animosity towards Gowda, he is in a mood to do his best to prevent him from getting the better of Patel.

Though the BJP has officially demanded dissolution of the Assembly, it has been displaying a soft approach towards Patel, who belongs to the Lingayat community which has been leaning towards the party in the last few elections.

Whether the BJP would agree to openly contribute towards bailing out the Patel government remains to be seen. It however cannot be ruled out as speculation is already on about a merger of the Patel faction of the JD into the Lok Shakti in the event of a split in the JD.

Hegde said that nobody could mistake Gowda’s intentions; his aim was to make one of his sons as chief minister or if that was not possible install himself.

Meanwhile, Patel who attended the first meeting of the Cauvery authority headed by Prime Minister AB Vajpayee held discussions with JD parliamentary board chief Ram Vilas Paswan who has been identified with the Gowda group inthe party.

Paswan told reporters that the JD was a State-centric party and any problem would have to be sorted out within the State unit. Leaders from outside the State had little role to play, he said.