Bangalore: Expressing displeasure over what they termed as "indifferent attitude" by the government, the Opposition parties in Karnataka on November 9 decided to stage dharna on November 12 to protest the delay in securing the release of abducted Janata Dal-United (JD-U) leader H Nagappa from the clutches of forest bandit Veerappan.

At a meeting of Opposition party leaders convened by the Opposition BJP leader in the state Assembly, Jagadish Shettar, it unanimously flayed the "lack of serious efforts" by the government in ending the hostage crisis which entered 76th day.

Shettar, briefing the press after the meeting said on November 12 the Opposition parties would stage a dharna in front of Vidhana Soudha, the state Secretariat, and convene a meeting of all party leaders the next day to chalk out their future course of agitation plans.

He said the meeting came down on Karnataka Chief Minister S M Krishna's alleged "failure" to meet his Tamil Nadu counterpart Jayalalithaa and demanded him to commence a dialogue "as soon as possible" to chalk out a joint strategy on the matter.

The meeting was attended by Janata Dal (U) leaders and the decisions adopted by it had the backing by Janata Dal-Secular, which had no participation, Shettar claimed.

Shettar said during the telephonic talk he had with the state unit JD(S) president Siddaramaiah, he expressed inability to attend the meeting but assured to go by its decisions.

PTI