I don't intend to split JD-S: Prakash

The Janata Dal-Secular in the Karnataka could breathe easy for some time, with senior party leader M P Prakash saying that he has no intention of splitting the party.

The decision came after a crucial meeting of the rebel JD-S legislators who met in Bangalore on Wednesday.

Prakash, however, made it clear that he would not attend the executive committee meeting of the JD-S, which is scheduled to be held on Thursday at the Palace Grounds in Bangalore.

The Prakash camp said the meeting was more of a forum to discuss election strategy than a discussion on the ideology of the party, which is the need of the hour.

Prakash maintained that party supreme H D Deve Gowda was still his leader and that he had no intention of splitting the party. He said the ideologies of the party had to be discussed in detail, especially in the wake of the political fiasco that took place in the state recently.

The surprise element of the meeting was that it was attended by 20 JD-S legislators. The Gowda faction had downplayed the meeting as they expected just eight members to take part.

Party spokesperson Meerajuddin Patel had even gone to the extent of stating that losing eight legislators will make no difference to the party.

The JD-S cannot afford to lose so many members as their election prospects are looking weak as of now at least. Gowda and his son H D Kumaraswamy have made several attempts to coax Prakash to stay in the party. They also realise that Prakash could control a large number of the electorate as he belongs to the Lingayat community.

Moreover, B S Yeddyurappa, Bharatiya Janata Party's chief minister for seven days, who was ditched by the JD-S, also belongs to the Lingayat community. Yeddyurappa is sparing no effort to woo the Lingayat community on sympathy grounds.