By Irfan Engineer
It appears that perhaps elections are inevitable in Karnataka. BJP has withdrawn support to Kumaraswamy Govt. and Congress has not been forthcoming to provide its support. The refusal to transfer governance to BJP according to power sharing agreement has been described by BJP as backstabbing. BJP is preparing to go to the electorate with the hope that they would be able to win elections on the sympathy wave. JD (S) on the other hand is confident to win election or in any case improve its performance gauging from its performance in the recent local body elections. Congress too is not willing to extend its support to the Kumaraswamy Govt. as it feels that it would be burdened with incumbency with having the opportunity to exercise real power. However, as is characteristic of Congress, the decision has been left on the High Command. The situation in Karnataka is pregnant with possibilities and what will happen next is anybody’s guess.
It doesn’t lie in the mouth of BJP to accuse JD(S) of backstabbing. BJP in the year 1990 increased its vote banks by backstabbing VP Singh Govt. The VP Singh Govt. was supported by the Left parties as well as BJP. Support of Left Parties as well as BJP was crucial for the VP Singh Govt. and both had solemnly assured the VP Singh led Janata Dal Govt. that they would support the Govt. from outside till completion of the term. When VP Singh implemented Mandal Commission Report, and BJP felt that Mandal would divide the Hindu Community, LK Advani took out his infamous Rath Yatra from Somnath to Ayodhya leaving a trail of communal riots and corpses of innocent citizen. There were more than 300 incidences of communal riots through out the route of Rath Yatra. Times of India had called the Rath Yatra as blood yatra. BJP then threatened that if the Yatra was stopped, they would withdraw the support to VP Singh Govt. VP Singh Govt. was in catch 22 situation. If they stopped the Yatra, the Govt. would fall and if they did not, then the hundreds of innocent citizens would be murdered. Speeches arousing communal passions of Hindus under the guise of movement for Ramjanmabhoomi temple were made during the Yatra raising the communal temperature of the country. Laloo Prasad Yadav, then Chief Minister of Bihar arrested Advani. BJP withdrew the support to the VP Singh Govt. and VP Singh had to resign as Prime Minister. When the government was formed, Ramjanmabhoomi or Rath Yatra was not a mutually agreed issue. BJP backed down on its agreement to support VP Singh Govt. and in the language which BJP is now speaking, backstabbed the VP Singh Govt.
The BJP Chief Minister of UP in 1992 Mr. Kalyan Singh gave solemn assurances that no damage would be done to Babri Masjid on 6th December in that year and the karsevaks were assembling in Ayodhya for symbolic karseva. Media was reporting about the rehearsals on the Bank of Saryu River and training with equipments to pull down the Mosque in shortest possible time. And, as they say, the rest is history. BJP, in any case its Chief Minister Kalyan Singh backed down on the assurances given to the Supreme Court on oath and kept the Military and para military forces at bay while the karsevaks were busy pulling down the Mosque. He offered to resign but his government was dismissed and the Supreme Court found him guilty of contempt of court for willfully lying to the court on oath. Who backstabbed this time, and that too on oath before the highest court of the Country?
BJP, as indeed other political parties, have recklessly entered into political alliances to be in power. In that sense BJP is not a party with any difference. BJP and BSP led by Mayawati for the first time entered into govt. sharing agreement for half term each turn by turn. Mayawati first served as Chief Minister in UP supported by BJP for the first half term and later, BJP Chief Minister was to be supported by BSP. Congress tried the same formula in J & K, where Mufti served as CM in first half of the term and now Ghulam Nabi Azad is serving as the CM on support of PDP. Congress was worried for sometime when PDP was putting conditions for transfer of CM’s post to Congress in J & K, however, ultimately it did transfer. In the age of hung assemblies and coalitions, any agreement is acceptable, even sleeping with the enemy, so long as one gets opportunity to be in power. Power is crucial to groom one’s coterie and the coterie would then help during elections.
BJP was particularly eager to claim CM’s post in Karnataka as it would have been its first Govt. South of Vindhyas, a significant milestone for their party. They would have utilized the opportunity to spread Hindutva and consolidated their toe hold in the South. Having its presence in South is crucial if BJP wants to form Government at the Centre with reduced dependence on temperamental allies like Jayalalitha. After Karnataka, Kerala would be its next target as there are already large numbers of RSS cadres in that state, though the RSS cadres at present have no choice but to vote for UDF govt. as RSS cadres and Left Front cadres are often engaged in street fights. RSS cadres were active in isolated communal incidents in Kerala and are already busy polarizing the state on communal lines.
Vishwa Hindu Parishad in Karnataka has campaigned on the issue of Baba Budangiri, a sufi shrine, claiming it to be Hindu shrine. The Hindutva cadres had unsuccessfully tried to block the prayer meeting of Benny Hin, a US based evangelist who runs TV channel called GOD in Bangalore. The Karnataka High Court ruled that according to Art. 25 of the Constitution, even a foreign national has right to freely profess, practice and propagate religion of his choice and refused to ban the meeting. Taking advantage of BJP sharing power with JD (S) in the Karanataka, BJP attempted to re-write the history text books in Karnataka, portraying Tipu Sultan as anti-Kannada. Muslims ruler being portrayed as anti-Hindu to spread anti-Muslim consciousness is the familiar strategy of BJP. If the CM’s post had been transferred to the BJP, it would have intensified its campaign to polarize Kannada society along communal lines.
Janata Dal (S) led by Deve Gowda should share the entire blame for entering into alliance with BJP and to present it with opportunity to be in power in Karnataka. JD(S) is now claiming that if the post of CM was transferred to BJP, they would have converted Karnataka into laboratory of Hindutva. Deve Gowda is no novice to politics and knows the BJP’s designs well, once they form their government. It split from the Janata Dal on the issue of secularism and on that plank Deve Gowda enjoyed the post of Prime Minister. Deve Gowda was pushing his son in particular and his family interests in general and did not shy from joining hands with the BJP. It does not lie in his mouth that BJP would have converted Karnataka into Hindutva laboratory. Opportunistic politics of JD (S) has given golden opportunity to BJP to go to the electorate on the plank that injustice was done to them and they were backstabbed by JD(S) and win a few more seats, even if they are not able to come to power. However, whether that happens or not remains to be seen as people do not vote merely on sympathy wave but on real issues of bread and butter. Meanwhile the damage has been done.