Talking to Deccan Herald late Monday night BJP President Rajnath Singh said: “There was no question of any new alignment with the JD(S).” He said the recent developments clearly showed that Bharatiya Janata Party could not trust the Janata Dal (Secular). Mr Rajnath Singh said he had given “clear instructions” to the State leadership on the issue.

Asked whether Karnataka-in-charge in the Bharatiya Janata Party would again  be sent to Bangalore to monitor the fresh developments, he snapped: “where is the need for this?”

Earlier in the day Mr Yeshwant Sinha had got in touch with the Bharatiya Janata Party high command after reports of fresh overtures from the Janata Dal (Secular) triggered speculation that both sides were trying to build “new bridges”.