Amid Karnataka political tussle, PM Modi dials HD Deve Gowda on his birthday

NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday called former PM HD Deve Gowda to wish him on his birthday. The phone call comes at a time when the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is fighting against the Congress- Janata Dal Secular combine to form the government in Karnataka.

In the run-up to the elections, Modi had begun by applauding Deve Gowda and criticising the Congress for 'insulting' the former PM. Deve Gowda however, termed Modi's appreciation as a way to garner sympathy votes for the BJP. Soon after, Modi took an apparent U-turn and asked people not to waste their votes on the JDS. "JD(S) stands at third place and people should not waste their vote on them," he had said. He had also added that the JDS had joined hands with communal forces of different states who support Naxalites. 

On Thursday, BJP's BS Yeddyurappa took oath as the CM and was given 15 days to form the government and prove majority on the floor of the House. The Congress and the JDS are in no mood to let the BJP have it easy. With the BJP bagging 104 seats and falling short of the half-way mark of 112, the Congress and the JDS have taken their MLAs to a hotel in Hyderabad. 

The Congress and JDS have also filed a petition against the swearing-in of Yeddyurappa in the Supreme Court. While refusing to stay the oath ceremony, the top court had asked Yeddyurappa to produce before it the letters he wrote to the state's Governor claiming support of MLAs for forming the government. 

The matter will be taken up by a top court bench on Friday. The three-judge wants to vet the contents of the letters - basically to check whether the Governor’s decision to invite Yeddyurappa was an informed one.