Former prime minister H D Deve Gowda on Saturday said there was no question of a compromise with the Congress at the moment.
Following his meeting with Dr Singh, which remained inconclusive, Gowda said he would convey his final decision by Sunday. However, later in the evening, Gowda spoke more openly about his intentions.
He said, "I did not compromise when I was the prime minister. So where is the question of doing so now? I have never compromised and there is no question of bargaining now."
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Sources in the Janata Dal-Secular and the Congress told rediff.com that during Gowda's meeting with the prime minister not a single demand was made. There were more complaints and no demands during the meeting, a JD-S leader said.
Gowda was furious when questioned about a deal he struck with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.
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All he had to say was, "I am not here to strike deals. Don't forget I am the same man who threw away the prime minister's post."
During the meeting, Dr Singh appraised Gowda of the situation and also the stand of the Congress on the nuclear deal.
He also told Gowda that the numbers were very essential in Parliament and hence his support would make a whale of a difference to the survival of the government.
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Although Gowda did not flatly refuse support, he had a long list of complaints listed out.
He spoke about the Congress betrayal while he was prime minister.
He also listed out a long list of complaints regarding the Karnataka state Congress and how certain leaders in the state had tried to humiliate him.
Finally, Gowda told Dr Singh that he will need more time to decide as he was meeting with senior party leaders later during the day. He also told the prime minister that a final decision will be arrived at by Sunday and that would be final.
Towards evening, it became clear that the JD-S was in no mood to go with the Congress.
A meeting with the Left leaders and other leaders of the regional parties only gave an indication that Gowda was more interested in forming a third front rather than going with the Congress on July 22.
JD-S MP Veerendra Kumar, who was present at Gowda's residence and met with the Left leaders along with Chandrababu Naidu, said that during the meeting they spoke against the UPA.
He maintained that his vote would be against the UPA and also added that their decision would be made public on Sunday.
