S. Bangarappa

SHIMOGA: Shimoga MP and president of the State unit of Samajwadi Party S. Bangarappa said here on Thursday that he would formally join the Congress after meeting All-India Congress Committee president Sonia Gandhi in New Delhi on January 5.

He told presspersons here that he would join the Congress unconditionally and it was left to the discretion of the Congress whether to field him as its candidate in the coming Lok Sabha elections.

Mr. Bangarappa said he considered his joining the Congress inevitable under the present circumstances which demanded the joining together of all the progressive and secular parties to contain the spread of “communal” forces.

He said that he would take the decision on merging the State unit of the Samajwadi Party with the Congress after holding discussions with the high command of Samajwadi Party. He said that a huge Congress convention would be held after his joining that party.

Mr. Bangarappa said that he was joining the Congress in appreciation of the need that all the secular parties should come together to prevent the BJP from forming the next government at the Centre.

He said it was his desire that the next government at the Centre should be led by secular parties.

He said that he would continue his talks with the Janata Dal (Secular) president H.D. Deve Gowda for a pre-poll alliance. He said that Mr. Gowda was not agreeable yet for it. However, State president of the Janata Dal (Secular) H.D. Kumaraswamy had an open mind for a pre-poll alliance between his party and the Congress, he said.

Reacting to the results of the recent byelections to the Assembly, Mr. Bangarappa said it was obvious that the money and liquor played a major role in ensuring the victory for the Bharatiya Janata Party. He took the BJP leadership in the State to task for setting the dangerous tradition by resorting to the “Operation Kamala” which was anti-democratic.

Earlier, Mr. Bangarappa addressed members of the District Congress Committee. The former Minister and senior party leader Kagodu Thimmappa, MLC Mir Azeez Ahmed and the president of the District Congress Committee R. Prasanna Kumar and others attended.

Mr. Bangarappa and Mr. Thimmappa, who were once identified as the sworn political rivals, exchanged sweets.

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