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Karnataka : Congress bungling opens the way for BJP |
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A BJP-Janata Dal (Secular) coalition is set to assume office in Karnataka on Friday (Feb. 3) after a fortnight-long political drama in the state. This will be the first time that the BJP will be tasting power in the state and indeed in the south. The way for the BJP-JD(S) coalition was made clear after former Prime Minister and Janata Dal (Secular) chief, H.D. Deve Gowda, failed to persuade his son, H.D. Kumaraswamy, to go back on his plan to form a government with BJP’s participation. Kumaraswamy had walked out of the JD(S) coalition with the Congress ten days back, claiming that JD(S) had got a raw deal in the coalition. Deve Gowda has stepped down as JD(S) national president admitting his failure to keep his party united.
Governor T.N. Chaturvedi invited Kumaraswamy to form the new Government on Saturday, Jan. 28, after Congress Chief Minister Dharam Singh stepped down after his failure to prove his majority in the Assembly a day earlier. Dharam Singh even did not move the vote of confidence in the Assembly on the ground of pandemonium which had been created by his own party members. Kumaraswamy, a first time MLA, will be the 18th Chief Minister of Karnataka.
The Governor told a news conference that he had invited Kumaraswamy to form the Government and prove his majority in the Assembly within eight days of assuming office. Dharam Singh, on his part, told newspersons that the Governor had turned down his request for a second chance to demonstrate his majority.
The new BJP-JD(S) coalition is set to work on the Jammu and Kashmir model with both parties getting the chief-ministership for 20 months each of the remaining tenure of the Assembly. Kumaraswamy said that JD(S) will have 16 Ministers while the BJP will have 18. Portfolios are to be divided in accordance with the Congress-NCP Maharashtra model of power-sharing. The two parties are also reported to have agreed to share equally the posts of over 60 state level public sector boards and corporations and urban development authorities.
The period since the announcement of withdrawal of support by Kumaraswamy to the Dharam Singh Government witnessed high drama with the JD(S) and BJP legislators being taken to other states to prevent horse-trading and “poaching” by the Congress. Deve Gowda on his part appears to have been assuring the Congress that he would be able to bring round his defiant son if the Congress met his demands which included a combination of the Jammu and Kashmir and Maharashtra models of power-sharing. The Congress was more than willing to meet the JD(S) demands. JD(S) sources in Bangalore said the Congress had offered two Deputy Chief Ministers as well as the Home and Irrigation portfolios to the JD(S) for supporting a Congress-led Government. They were also willing to sacrifice Chief Minister Dharam Singh.
JD(S) president Deve Gowda came to Delhi last week as part of the efforts to save the JD(S)-Congress coalition in Karnataka. Besides meeting Congress president Sonia Gandhi, he also met CPI(M)’s Prakash Karat in New Delhi. JD(S) general secretary K. Danish Ali delivered a note detailing five conditions to Defence Minister Pranab Mukherjee. Besides implementation of the Maharashtra model for portfolio distribution, Gowda wanted an assurance that the Congress would ensure a full term for the Government in Karnataka. But as the subsequent developments show, these confabulations failed to yield results primarily because of Deve Gowda’s failure to rein in his son, Kumaraswamy. Talking to media persons in Bangalore, Deve Gowda maintained that Congress leaders had humbled him and his party over the past 18 months. His ambiguous attitude towards his son’s tactics was shown by his saying that Kumaraswamy had been trying to save the party. Led by Kumaraswamy, JD(S) rebels had split the party earlier this month and submitted a letter to the Governor withdrawing support to the Dharam Singh Government and putting forward the claim to form a new Government with BJP’s support and participation.
Congress blames BJP’s “evil game”
Outgoing Chief Minister Dharam Singh has blamed what he called the “evil game” played by BJP to usurp power through the back door for his downfall. Speaking in Bangalore on Jan. 28, he said it was the JD(S) which had come forward to form a coalition government with the Congress to keep the `communal’ BJP out of power. He said now the same JD(S) legislators have reversed their stand. Dharam Singh lambasted the BJP for its “opportunistic politics” and reminded the saffron brigade and Kumaraswamy that it was not possible to fool the people or rule by exploiting the emotions of the people. “In politics, it is necessary to have commitments to principles and ideology. We must solve the problems of the people and work for their welfare,” he said.
The ousted Chief Minister wondered at what promoted Kumaraswamy to stage his coup which led to the collapse of his government and seriously damaged the political image and secular credentials of his father and ultimately resulted in tendering of his resignation as JD(S) national president. “Until the results of the zilla panchayat polls were known, JD(S) had no problems with the coalition rule. There were never any complaints about non-implementation of the common minimum programme or flouting the secular plank which brought us together. What were the problems that could not be resolved through mutual discussion”, he asked.
Major boost to BJP in the South
Observers say that with the Karnataka developments, the BJP gets a major boost in southern India. This would be the first time that the BJP will be in power in any state government in the South. In Karnataka, the BJP had been improving its vote share, but had never captured power. The party can now signal to its support base that sticking by the party has not been a task limited to voting for the opposition.
For the BJP which is looking at Karnataka as a gateway to the South, being in the Government will allow the party to place its nominees on scores of corporations, boards and district bodies. This will enable the BJP to benefit from traditional patronage politics and build its influence.
The BJP is happy at the Congress being upturned in an unceremonious manner in Karnataka. Another significant gain from the developments is that a member of the socalled secular United Progressive Alliance has deserted ranks to tie up with the National Democratic Alliance led by the BJP. The BJP’s ability to successfully negotiate with the UPA constituent, when the sustainability of the NDA itself was being questioned by the Congress, is a significant boost for the saffron forces.
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