The former Leader of the Opposition in the Legislative Council A.K. Subbaiah confirmed on Tuesday he had received an invitation from the Karnataka Janata Paksha (KJP) to join the party.
The former Chief Minister B.S. Yeddyurappa has announced that he will join the KJP.
Mr. Subbaiah told journalists in Madikeri that if Mr. Yeddyurappa shunned the Sangh Parivar, communalism and casteism completely, he was ready to hold talks with regard to joining the KJP. One should not construe that regional political parties do not have future in the State going by what happened in the past. Karnataka, on the other hand, needed a strong regional party. However, such parties should not remain in the grip of any family or follow communal or caste agenda and keep out political opportunists, Mr. Subbaiah said.
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He, however, felt it would be good for Mr. Yeddyurappa to remain in the BJP.
‘Jamma Bane’ Bill
Mr. Subbaiah suspected the hands of pseudo-environmentalists behind Governor H.R. Bhardwaj’s decision to refer the ‘Jamma Bane’ Bill, approved by the State government, to the President of India. Expressing displeasure over the functioning of certain environmental groups in Kodagu, Mr. Subbaiah questioned the propriety of one such organisation which, he said, was acting as the “adviser”’ to the Governor.
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He warned of demonstrations against such organisations.
To a question on the Maoist movement, he said the goal of Maoists was good, but creating fear by wielding arms was not acceptable. The government must take steps to bring them into the mainstream instead of “hunting” them down, Mr. Subbaiah said.
Advocate Kunhi Abdulla was among those present.