Apparently to convey that its support should not be taken for granted, Janata Dal (S) on Thursday gave an ultimatum to coalition partner Bharatiya Janata Party in Karnataka to accept its conditions before the fledgling Yeddyurappa ministry took the floor test on November 19.
The ultimatum was conveyed by JD(S) supremo H D Deve Gowda to his BJP counterpart Rajnath Singh here, sources said. They said the former prime minister, who returned to Bangalore after giving the ultimatum, was categorical that if the saffron party did not accept its conditions, the BJP should not expect JD(S) MLAs to vote in favour of BJP.
Yeddyurappa has already sought time till November 18 to respond to Deve Gowda's 12 conditions for running the coalition.
Deve Gowda has put forth conditions, which included a major say for his son, former chief minister H D Kumaraswamy, in decision-making and administrative matters. The JD(S) chief also wants that allotment of portfolios to ministers should be done in consultation with Kumaraswamy.
Deve Gowda has also demanded that the government provide protection to minorities and dalits.
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