Gowda downplays son's meeting with Sonia Gandhi

Even as his son H D Kumaraswamy met Congress President Sonia Gandhi fuelling speculation about a possible alliance, JD(S) chief H D Deve Gowda on Tuesday insisted that the Third Front was intact and that "more progressive forces" would join it.

Even as his son H D Kumaraswamy met Congress President Sonia Gandhi fuelling speculation about a possible alliance, JD(S) chief H D Deve Gowda on Tuesday insisted that the Third Front was intact and that "more progressive forces" would join it.

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"I am amused at the tendency to write the obituary of the Third Alternative even before the last phase of the Lok Sabha election is over. This according to me betrays the desperate anxiety of the ones who wish to spread the false gospel of bi-polar polity in India," Gowda said in a press statement issued in New Delhi.

Gowda's statement came even as Kumaraswamy was meeting Gandhi, triggering speculation about JD(S) exploring possibility of allying with Congress.

Gowda said the Third Alternative, formed in Tumkur on March 12, 2009, was formed in response to the "common Indian's disillusionment with the two principal national parties, BJP and Congress".

Maintaining that Third Front constituents had "impeccable credentials", Gowda said, "Those who like to portray the Third Alternative as a motley crowd of Prime Ministerial aspirants and self-seeking regional parties are trying to wish away the sentiments of poor masses of India".

"We are hopeful that more such progressive forces would join our ranks after the results of the Lok Sabha elections are announced," he said.