The UPA government could well encounter trouble in getting the numbers for the trust vote, with former PM and Janata Dal (S) patriarch H.D. Deve Gowda making up with estranged colleague M.P. Veerendrakumar ahead of the three-MP group’s decision to oppose the trust vote next week.
Gowda said: “He (Veerendrakumar) has always been with the Left Front. We are like brothers. We have been together. He was upset for sometime when Kumaraswamy (the former PM’s son) formed a coalition government with the BJP.”
Gowda said a formal announcement would be made on Friday, but dropped many hints that the Dal (S) would not vote to save the Manmohan Singh government. “I am more concerned about my party’s future and that it remains strong even after my death. Our base (in Karnataka) is more important than the ceiling (referring to the Centre)... We will discuss all this tomorrow and take a decision, but we will not abstain from voting,” he told HT.
The former prime minister sees little risk in opposing the motion, saying the fall of the government would only advance elections to the Lok Sabha by a couple of months.
On former president Kalam's statement that the nuclear deal with the US is in the interest of the nation, Gowda shot back: “He’s not the only scientist. There are several scientists in this country.”
{{/usCountry}}On former president Kalam's statement that the nuclear deal with the US is in the interest of the nation, Gowda shot back: “He’s not the only scientist. There are several scientists in this country.”
{{/usCountry}}He said Left leaders AB Bardhan and D. Raja and Congress leader Ahmed Patel had called on him to seek his support. He said he remained non-committal to them.