<span style="color: #222222;">In Karnataka, Janata Dal (Secular) President and former Prime Minister H. D. Deve Gowda has refuted media reports of his party's merger with BJP. Addressing media persons in Bengaluru today, he stressed that JD (S) will remain a strong regional party with its secular credentials intact. </span><br />'' <br />'' <span style="color: #222222;">Responding to the criticism meted out by the Congress leaders in the State against JD (S), Mr Deve Gowda said that the Congress that joined hands with Shiv Sena in Maharashtra must not question JD (S) for extending issue based support to BJP in the State legislature. He charged that the Congress has failed in safeguarding the interests of minorities in the country.</span><br />''