Bengaluru – Former Nagamangala MLAs and senior Congress leaders K. Suresh Gowda and L.R. Shivaramegowda were inducted to JD(S) Party at a function held at the Party Office here yesterday.

The two leaders were welcomed by former Prime Minister and JD(S) National President H.D. Deve Gowda and former Chief Minister and State JD(S) President H.D. Kumaraswamy.

Giving a tip of advice to the newly-inducted leaders Deve Gowda asked them to shun groupism and work in tandem to strengthen the Party. He stressed that there be should be nothing like a faction and JD(S) should be a totally united secular party. He suggested the two influential leaders to decide as to who should be given ticket for the nest Assembly election and added that Opposition parties would always cash in on any sort of dissidence in JD(S) which should be totally avoided. He stressed on the need for a Regional Party to come to power to solve problems of the State.

Speaking on the occasion, Suresh Gowda lamented that none of the Congress leaders canvassed for him during the last Assembly Elections except Chief Minister Siddharamaiah, whom he had met before leaving the Congress.

He contended that he was being cornered after sitting MLA N. Cheluvaraya Swamy, who along with eight other JD(S) MLAs, had cross-voted for a Congress candidate in the Rajya Sabha Polls, was getting closer to Congress. He claimed that the system in Congress had gone awry which displeased him to quit the Party and join JD(S).