KA-MINISTER-DOGS (MES1)

Taking a dig at BJP leaders, who

were "expecting" the Congress-JDS coalition government to

fall, JDS leader D C Thamanna has drawn an analogy between

them and the 'street dogs' while refuting BJP lawmaker Umesh

Katti's claim that the dispensation would collapse soon.

Katti had recently claimed that 15 disgruntled MLAs of

the ruling coalition were in touch with him and that the

saffron party would form the new government in Karnataka by

next week.

Hitting out at Katti, Thammana said, "J H Patel (a

former chief minister) had once narrated a story in the state

assembly about an elephant and street dogs. He recalled Patel

saying an elephant was walking ahead of street dogs who

were hoping something would fall from atop the tusker that

they would eat.

"Neither did the food fall, nor the dogs got something

to eat. This story fits perfectly with BJP leaders, who are

expecting this government to fall," the Karnataka Minister

told reporters on Friday at Maddur near Mysuru.

Replying to a query, Thamanna said Katti has been

predicting the government's fall "today or tomorrow" for quite

some time.

"For the past seven months, we are hearing this every

day but this has not materialised," he said.

Soon after Katti's claim, state BJP chief and Leader

of the Opposition B S Yeddyurappa had ruled out any attempt by

his party to destabilise the present dispensation.

He said his party would take an "appropriate decision"

if there was political instability in the state.