Belagavi: Janata Dal (Secular)) supremo and former prime minister H D Deve Gowda said he is in touch with Congress dissident MLAs , but that doesn't mean all of them would join JD(S).

Speaking to reporters here on Friday, Gowda said he has already spoken to senior Congress MLA Srinivas Prasad and he would speak to him again in Mysuru.

He targeted chief minister Siddaramaiah for dropping Satish Jarakiholi from the cabinet who supported him tooth and nail when his political career was in a limbo. ''Satish is a prominent leader of the ST community. Apart from funding Siddaramaiah's political activities, Satish Jarkiholi had also given vehicles to Siddaramaiah, his wife and son, " Gowda said.

To a question, Gowda said he was in favour of making party's senior leader and seven time MLC Basavaraj Horatti the chairman of the legislative council and he expects both BJP and Congress support Horatti so that he is elected unopposed.

However, he said Congress is keen to remove incumbent chairman D H Shankaramurthy from the post and install it's own member. In such a case, the JD(S) would vote against the Congress candidate, he added.

On taking disciplinary action against 8 JD(S) MLAs who voted for Congress' candidate in the recent Rajya Sabha elections, Gowda said he is waiting for the report of the disciplinary committee to take action against the MLAs.

Describinig Siddaramaiah government's performance as bad, Gowda said the Congress will be relegated to third position in the 2018 elections.

JD(S) MLA NH Konareddy, ZP member Shankar Madalagi, JD(S) district president PF Patil, spokesperson Channappa Waggannavar were present.