JD-S non-committal on supporting UPA

As the Left parties withdrew support to the United Progressive Alliance government, the Janata Dal- Secular, which has three Members of Parliament, appeared non-committal on supporting the Manmohan Singh government, saying that a decision would be taken a day before the floor test in the Lok Sabha.

JD-S chief and former prime minister H D Deve Gowda said the trial of strength in the Lok Sabha would take place only in August. "One day earlier to this floor test, my party will take its own decision," he told reporters.

The party has three MPs including estranged member Veerendra Kumar.

Veerendra Kumar, who won from Kerala as a Left Democratic Front candidate, has distanced himself from the Deve Gowda-led outfit.

Deve Gowda denied that the Congress and Left parties had approached him to seek support. Apparently peeved over the Congress not approaching him, he said "I too have got some self-respect. I don't want to draw the attention of any political party that Deve Gowda is still alive."

Deve Gowda slammed a section of the national media for speculating that his party would back the UPA government.

"Don't presume things and go on highlighting that 'X' has been counted for 'Y'. I am watching national TV. A decision will be taken by the party, one day earlier to the floor test."

Though sounding confident, the Congress is keeping its fingers crossed and hoping for the backing of parties led by Ajit Singh and H D Deve Gowda to sail through a trust vote. On two JD-S MLAs joining the Bharatiya Janata Party in Karnataka, Gowda hit out at the saffron party, alleging that it is using money power to 'purchase' Members of Legislative Assembly.

Two JD-S and two Congress MLAs have resigned from the Assembly and joined the BJP.

BJP 'purchased' the MLAs with the help of "mine, money and land mafia," he alleged.

Gowda urged 'secular forces' to come together, forgetting 'all our past bitterness' to fight against the BJP in the by-elections to these four seats.

The former Prime Minister alleged that the May Assembly elections witnessed 'ugly demonstration of money power by mine and land mafia'.

"The Election Commission has totally failed (in curbing money-power in the elections)", he said.