JD-S offers to support UPA

The Janata Dal-Secular with three MPs from Karnataka has offered unconditional support to the United Progressive Alliance. JD-S leader and Former Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy made a sudden visit to New Delhi on Sunday and is holding talks with Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad.

Confirming this, JD-S spokesperson Milind Dharmasen told rediff.com that Kumaraswamy is holding talks with Azad and through him he would meet with Sonia Gandhi either on Monday or Tuesday morning.

He also said that Kumaraswamy will camp in New Delhi for four days and would return to Karnataka only once things are finalised with the Congress.

Dharmasen said that the support offered was unconditional and currently the JD-S was not looking for any portfolio in the government. However if they were offered a portfolio they would be only too glad to accept it, he also said.

Sources say that Kumaraswamy, son of Former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda has been in touch with Azad since the past 20 days. Even the earlier meeting that Kumaraswamy had with Sonia Gandhi was arranged by Ghulam Nabi Azad.

For the JD-S the scene is a desperate one. The party is not ready to wait in the background for another four years in Karnataka where the Bharatiya Janata Party is ruling.

The party finds that this is the best chance for them to get power since the Congress has indicated clearly that it would prefer smaller parties to be a part of the government. The JD-S will make every effort to be part of the government as it realises that this is the best chance it has and the party does not want to let go of it at any cost.