Janata Dal (Secular) supremo H.D. Deve Gowda has ruled out the possibility of revoking the suspension of eight rebel MLAs who had indulged in cross-voting in the Rajya Sabha elections.
Mr, Gowda said that by violating the whip issued by the party, the rebel MLAs had voted against the official candidate of the party. Such indiscipline cannot be tolerated. They will not be admitted back to the party, he said at an interaction programme held under the aegis of Shivamogga Press Trust on Friday.
Commenting on the acquittal of former Chief Minister B.S. Yeddyurappa in the case of receiving illegal gratification from mining companies, he said it was the right time to contemplate on ending political interference in the functioning of CBI to ensure fair probe into such cases. In the past also, political parties that were in power in the Centre had used CBI as a tool to protect their interests and to harass political opponents, he said.
Mr. Gowda said the developments that took place during the Cauvery water sharing dispute had highlighted the need for a strong regional political party for Karnataka. The JD(S) would organise a convention in November in the name of the late political leader Jayaprakash Narayan, who was a believer of the principles of political de-centralisation and, he said.
The rebel MLAs
had indulged in
cross-voting in the Rajya Sabha elections
