The Congress claimed that with this development, its allegations of the JD(S) being the "B-team" of the BJP had now been proven.
Published Jul 17, 2023 | 9:30 AM ⚊ Updated Jul 17, 2023 | 9:30 AM
Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai. (Twitter)
The political landscape in Karnataka could be slated for some upheaval, with senior BJP leader and former Karnataka chief minister Basavaraj Bommai on Sunday, 16 July, hinting at an alliance between his party and the Janata Dal (Secular), or the JD(S).
Bommai on Sunday hinted at talks regarding the JD(S) joining the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, a move that could upend a lot of political calculations.
Bommai said the results of the discussion would determine future political developments.
Meanwhile, the Congress claimed that with this, its allegations of the JD(S) being the “B-team” of the BJP had now been proven.
The Congress also took a dig at the development, calling the regional outfit an “opportunistic party” that was ready to join hands with anyone for the sake of power.
The alliance could be troubling news for the Congress, which won the Karnataka Assembly elections by a hefty margin in May.
The Congress managed to not just cross the halfway mark in the 224-member Assembly but actually extend its victory to a comfortable 135 seats.
The incumbent BJP, meanwhile, was reduced to 66 seats, while the JD(S) — once an alliance partner of the Congress — managed only 19 seats. It was in alliance with JDS that BJP formed its first ever government in Karnataka – its first ever in a southern state.
In 2018 Karnataka Assembly elections, the Congress and the JD(S) joined hands, with 80 and 37 seats, respectively to form the government. The JD(S)’s HD Kumaraswamy was chosen to be the chief minister.
The BJP, with 104 seats, would be out of power for a little more than a year: A political crisis in 2019 saw several Congress and JD(S) MLAs crossing over to support the BJP.
The Congress-JD(S) combine failed to prove a majority in the Assembly, and Kumaraswamy resigned, paving the way for the BJP to form the government.
That fall would still be fresh in the minds of the JD(S) leadership. It could be one of the reasons the BJP might appear as a better alliance partner to it.
Meanwhile, it may be noted that the BJP swept the 2019 Lok Sabha polls — which incidentally took place before Kumaraswamy’s regime was toppled — in Karnataka by winning 25 of the total 28 seats in the state, while an independent backed by it won in one constituency. The Congress and the JD(S) secured one seat each.
Meanwhile, in response to a question on the possibility of JD(S) joining the NDA, Bommai said on Sunday, “That is for the discussion between our leadership and JD(S) president HD Deve Gowda.”
Speaking to reporters in the Hubballi district of Karnataka, he said Kumaraswamy had expressed certain feelings, and that the discussions would continue in that direction.
“The future political developments will be based on the result of those discussions,” he added.
Recently, there have been enough indications from leaders of the BJP and the JD(S) about both parties coming to an understanding ahead of the Lok Sabha polls.
BJP veteran BS Yediyurappa said his party and the JD(S) would fight the Congress government in the state together.
JD(S) patriarch Deve Gowda also recently rhetorically asked reporters to name one political party that has not had an alliance with the BJP.
Kumaraswamy, on his part, said a decision on an electoral understanding for the Lok Sabha polls would be taken when the situation arose.
It was also stated that Kumaraswamy, during his recent visit to New Delhi, met some senior BJP leaders.
BJP national general secretary CT Ravi said politics was a “flowing water, not stagnant”, and that there were no permanent friends or enemies.
Stating that anyone could join the NDA or the BJP keeping in mind the national interest and development work that was taking place under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership, he said: “No discussions have taken place at our level regarding alliance with JD(S). If it has happened at a higher level, I’m not aware.”
Noting that several parties had come forward to support Modi, senior BJP leader and MLC N Ravi Kumar said the JD(S) was among them.
“I compliment Deve Gowda for deciding to go with the BJP keeping the country’s interest in mind, instead of going with UPA, which is only dreaming of coming to power, leaving aside all the principles. Deve Gowda and Kumaraswamy are in favour of the NDA in the interest of the country,” he said, adding that the party’s leadership would take the decision on the alliance.
Meanwhile, senior Congress leader and Karnataka’s Minister for Law & Parliamentary Affairs, Legislation and Tourism HK Patil said, according to him, a leader of the stature of Deve Gowda would not go along with a “communal party”.
“My preliminary opinion is that media reports in this regard may be false,” he said.
Health Minister and former state Congress chief Dinesh Gundu Rao said, “We have said many times that the JD(S) is the B-team of the BJP. Now, Kumaraswamy is going to demonstrate that our words are true.”
He asked: “What ideology does the JD(S) have, which is going to ally with the communal BJP? It is an opportunistic party.”
Meanwhile, industries minister MB Patil took a dig at BJP and Basavaraj Bommai for allegedly ceding space to HD Kumaraswamy to emerge as Leader of Opposition.
Congratulations to soon to be LoP, Sh @hd_kumaraswamy
The @BJP4Karnataka seems to have finally decided to make redundant @BSBommai@BSBommai will face the same fate in the BJP as Sh @JagadishShettar & @BSYBJP
It’s a House of Cards that’s Collapsing. I urge @BSBommai to… pic.twitter.com/2gupaFHe1x
— M B Patil (@MBPatil) July 16, 2023
(With PTI inputs)
