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Dal ready for Patel's second acid test

The stage is set for the crucial meeting of the Karnataka Janata Dal legislature party.

A notice, issued by JDLP secretary Jyoti Reddy, said the meeting would take place on Friday.

The meeting has been convened on party president Sharad Yadav direction, following a petition from 46 Dal legislators who revolted against Chief Minister J H Patel.

Patel, who survived the opposition-sponsored no-confidence motion on Wednesday, would have to weather the challenge at the JDLP meeting. The dissidents had in their petition to Yadav wanted Patel to seek a vote of confidence in the JDLP.

Meanwhile, former prime minister H D Deve Gowda, behind whom dissident legislators had rallied, held a two-hour discussion with state party president B L Shankar.

Deve Gowda had another discussion with senior party leader S R Bommai, who is attempting a patch up between the two groups.

Shankar said the agenda for the meeting would be decided by Yadav, who is expected in Bangalore Friday evening. He did not rule out the possibility that the leadership issue would be raised at the meeting.

Both Deve Gowda and Bommai, who would listen to the party legislators Friday, are expected to confer with senior ministers of the Patel government.

UNI

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