JDS legislators under the leadership of its state unit working President H D Kuamraswamy, son of the party's supremo H D Deve Gowda, would meet to take the decision on whether to continue its coalition ties with Congress.
The JDS group, which was opposed to forcing a snap poll on the people of the state in the event of its coming out of the government, is likely to rope in Bharatiya Janata Party support to form an alternative government, even as Gowda continued to maintain in public his aversion to go with the saffron party.
State unit BJP President Jagadish Shettar, refusing to divulge his party's strategy, told PTI, "We are watching the development". The BJP Central leadership has deputed its Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu to monitor and take an "appropriate" decision if JDS chose to bid a goodbye to its relations with Congress, which have strained in the aftermath of the Zilla and Taluk panchayat polls in which the JDS fared below its expectations.
Sources in BJP claim that the situation has reached such a stage that a sizeable number of JDS legislators would break away from its party and come out of the coalition government, forcing the Congress to watch the situation intently.
Downplaying the reported moves by JDS legislators to explore the possibility of forming an alternative government with BJP, Karnataka Chief Minister N Dharam Singh today asserted that there was no threat to his government and it was "intact".
"My government is intact. There is no threat to my ministry," Singh told reporters at Raj Bhavan where he had come to greet Governor T N Chaturvedi on his birthday.
"It is all a media speculation," he said on reports about the moves of the JDS legislators led by H D Kumaraswamy, its Working President and son of party supremo H D Devegowda. He also ruled out the possibility of his resignation in the wake of hectic political activity in the JDS, where a majority of legislators under the leadership Kumaraswamy were reportedly considering joining hands with BJP.
Singh declined to comment on speculation that Kumaraswamy might submit a letter to the governor on withdrawal of support to the government.
"I do not want to comment. Let him give the letter," he said. He said he had not spoken to Devegowda and would do so, "if need be".
Maintaining that there were no differences between Congress and JDS, he said, "In my 34 years of political life, I have seen several such political developments." Singh said the state legislature session, which would commence tomorrow, would go on.
