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Congress cold shoulders Hegde

Irked by the Congress's cold shoulder, Lok Shakti president Ramakrishna Hegde today indicated his willingness to clinch a deal with the Bharatiya Janata Party.

Neither the Congress nor the BJP held discussions with Hegde yesterday, apparently awaiting the response to his call to the Janata Dal assembly members in Karnataka to revolt and desert the party.

Hegde was scheduled to meet Congress president Sitaram Kesri on Tuesday night, but the meeting did not take place. Hegde, however, said both Congress and the BJP leaders were in touch with him.

Congress sources said any meaningful discussion with Hegde is possible only after they gauge his strength among the JD MLAs.

Senior JD leader and Karnataka Minister R V Deshpande openly came out against Hegde's call. He said would make one more attempt to persuade Hegde to join the United Front.

Addressing the media, Hegde justified his bargaining exercise simultaneously with the Congress and the BJP, saying ideology did not not matter in the present times. ''Politics has reached a point where issues have become secondary and values virtually non-existent. There is no difference in the ideologies of the Congress, the BJP or the left parties these days,'' he remarked.

UNI

EARLIER REPORT:
Hegde hints at alliance with BJP

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