PM wants Laloo, Hegde to thwart Gowda

At a meeting with a group of MPs from Karnataka yesterday, Gujral is said to have expressed his displeasure with Gowda’s attitude and the effect it was having on the party. He described the current crisis in the party unit in Karnataka, where Gowda has been trying to cut Chief Minister J H Patel down to size, as unnecessary.

Gujral’s meeting with the MPs was to get an assessment of the Karnataka events. The meeting assumes significance in view of the fact that the group led by Textiles Minister R L Jalappa consisted of hard-core anti-Gowda MPs. It also discussed the Prime Minister’s visit to Karnataka in the first week of December.

Jalappa is a key factor in Gujral’s gameplan to sideline Gowda in Karnataka. Jalappa, who has the support of half a dozen of the 16 party MPs from the State, has been waging an open war with Gowda. Recently, he demanded an inquiry into irregularities in the sanctioning of Rs 300 crore worth contracts in the Upper Krishna Project (UKP) during Gowda’s last week in office as Chief Minister.

Earlier this week in Bangalore, Gowda had summoned MLAs to a meet largely made to appear as an anti-Patel conclave, while many among them said that they did not have any complaints against the Chief Minister. He is to visit the city again on November 10 where he is scheduled to have another meeting with the legislators. The real reason, according to party sources, for Gowda to show more than usual interest in Karnataka is his perception that Patel, who had been backing him all along, was showing some independence.

Sources reveal Patel went to Gowda with a list of 12 ministers he wanted dropped in the ministry reconstitution that he plans. Gowda turned livid when he saw the list which included six of his own supporters and told Patel that he would not countenance their sacking. It was after this episode that Gowda’s MP son, H D Kumaraswamy, arranged his meeting with the MLAs.

Gowda had earlier told The Indian Express that his meeting with the MLAs was only to hear their complaints about lapses in the administration. “Nobody demanded a change in leadership,” he said, adding that his only interest was in strengthening the party in the State.