By Team Mangalorean Bangalore

BANGALORE November 16, 2008: Noted Kannada writer and Jnanpith Award winner U.R. Ananthamurthy on Sunday released a booklet entitled "Aftermath of Friendship with BJP - A Retrospection" at the Janata Dal (S) office here and said the fascist forces raised their heads in the State after the formation of the BJP government by Chief Minister B.S. Yeddyurappa.

J D(S) National President of the party H.D.Deve Gowda and the new state President H.D.Kumarswamy were present.

Prof. Ananthamurthy said the socialism would survive in the country only through revival of parties like Janata Dal. It was time that all former leaders of the Janata Parivar come together and forge a greater alliance to defeat the BJP in the coming Lok Sabha polls.

Dr. Ananthamurthy said he was not happy with the party and with some of the decisions taken by Mr. Deve Gowda and Mr. Kumarswamy in the last three years. "I still feel that the Janata Parivar that followed the socialist ideology and thinkers like Ram Manohar Lohia and Jayaprakash Narayan. I will not mind to come in open support of the JD(S) if it were to align with other socialist parties in the country with true and honest credentials to defeat the fascists," he said.

He said there was a need to create another movement, on the lines of JP movement which succeeded in overthrowing Congress rule for the first time. The dual membership held by RSS people as a member of a religious outfit and a political party was Anti-Constitutional, he alleged. He urged likeminded people to come together to commit themselves to promote the principles of secularism.

Associating religion with terrorism would create a constant threat among the minority communities, particularly Muslims, he charged.

The writer said he sometimes detested the hasty decisions and statements of the JD(S) and advised Mr.Kumarswamy to be careful when making political statements. Several Janata Parivar leaders like Siddaramaiah, M.P.Prakash, P G R Sindhia and many others should find their roots back and Mr.Deve Gowda and Kumaraswamy should be gracious enough to invite them back to the party," he said.

Dr.Ananathamurthy said he was equally pained when people did not celebrate when the son of the soil of Karnataka Mr.Deve Gowda became the Prime Minister of the country. He said he had objected to late Ramakrishna Hegade and few others for their stiff attitude towards Mr.Gowda becoming the Prime Minister.

Mr. Deve Gowda said the NDA and the UPA had done nothing to safeguard the interest of 22 crores of Muslims in this country. Mr.Gowda said the Naveen Patnaik government in Orissa has reported that it was Sangh Parivar activists who were responsible for the plight of the tribals in Orissa.