Mr Gowda was instrumental in his party terminating its tie-up with the BJP in the State just three weeks ago.
The JD(S) chief, who alleged that Maharashtra Governor S M Krishna and Congress leaders Siddaramaiah, D K Shiv Kumar and Ramesh Kumar were out to engineer a split in his party, said he had written to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Congress President Sonia Gandhi a few days ago that the Karnataka Assembly should be dissolved forthwith. A relaxed Mr Gowda, speaking informally to presspersons, said the Congress was using former minister M P Prakash to split the party.

“The use of money power had started and our MLAs were offered money by the Congress leaders. Alarmed by this, the State JD(S) took the decision in the interest of saving the party. I said when all of them have taken such a decision I will go with it.”

Letter to Singh, Sonia
On his letter to the PM and Ms Gandhi, Mr Gowda said he wrote it a few days ago and even spoke to Dr Singh on Friday. “I told him that the 2006 situation was being repeated, that Congress was out to split the JD(S).  “I told him that if the Assembly was not dissolved immediately, the split was surely going to happen. He told me that the Bommai judgement may come in the way and that he would speak to the law ministry in this regard.”

Mr Gowda said he had sought an appointment with Ms Gandhi. “She was busy at a meeting and sent word that she would get back to me later,” he added.

The former prime minister, who remained tightlipped on the action to be taken against Mr Prakash, refused to say whether his recent moves amounted to anti-party activity. He wondered why the former minister came to Delhi on Friday when Ms Sonia Gandhi herself was not in the national capital and she was to be back only on October 30.

“He did not meet me after his last visit to Delhi. I telephoned him to join me when I addressed the press in Bangalore two days ago. He could have met me here last night or on Saturday.

“He hobnobbed with the Congress who were day in and day out berating me and my sons,” he said.
Mr Gowda said it was strange that Prakash continued talking to Congress leaders even after AICC general secretary Prithviraj Chavan issued a statement against any tie-up with JD(S).

Although he agreed with the party state unit going with the BJP, Gowda seemed unsure on what action the Governor might initiate.

Incidentally, his party has offered support to the BJP while he had, over three weeks ago, demanded dissolution of the House and wrote to the prime minister seeking dissolution.

He said BJP president Rajnath Singh spoke to him from Mumbai and added that he told the latter that he would not come in the way of the State unit’s decision.

Mr Gowda asserted that he would not allow his party to be split. “I sold my house in 1979 in order to build the party. Till my last breath, I will fight and ensure the unity of my party.”