JDS rebels to boycott Gowda's meeting on Thursday

BANGALORE: JDS rebels led by its senior leader M P Prakash on Wednesday decided to boycott the meeting called by party supremo H D Deve Gowda on Thursday.
    
The rebels claimed their meeting was attended by 17 MLAs and three MLCs.
    
Gowda's efforts to mollify Prakash at a meeting on Tuesday failed, leading to the rebels going ahead with their session.
    
Prakash, former state Home Minister, who has raised a banner of revolt against Gowda for certain 'unilateral' decisions by him on party matters including toppling of the BJP-led coalition government, called the meeting to decide future course of action.
    
Gowda has called a meeting of state unit office bearers, executive committee, zilla panchayat members and other senior leaders here tomorrow to discuss the political situation and gear up the party for upcoming assembly polls in the state.
    
JDS spokesman Y S V Datta, however, sought to downplay the rebels' conclave, saying "with dissolution of the state assembly, MLAs have no role to play now. At tomorrow's meeting, we will discuss strategies to face elections."
    
Meanwhile, JDS rebel leader M P Veerendrakumar called on Prakash and held discussions with him on the Karnataka political situation.
    
JDS has 58 MLAs in the state assembly and nine of them distanced from the party after it formed a coalition government with BJP in 2006.