By Faraz Ahmad, IANS
New Delhi : The Congress has given the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) an opportunity to form its first government in Karnataka on a platter, says the Janata Dal-Secular (JD-S), furious with the Congress for not backing it in the state and then recommending President’s rule without dissolving the assembly.
The decision of the central government to not dissolve the assembly is part of a Congress conspiracy to force a split in the JD-S, whose chief minister H.D. Kumaraswamy’s refusal to give up the post after 20 months forced former partner BJP to call off the alliance in Karnataka and triggered the current crisis.
“Where was the point in keeping the assembly in suspended animation when the governor recommended dissolution of the assembly. There appears to be a design in this. Now if the BJP succeeds in forming a government, the Congress will be solely responsible,” said JD-S general secretary and spokesperson Kunwar Danish Ali.
He said the BJP had called JD-S leader and former prime minister H.D. Deve Gowda a betrayer and a back-stabber. “Yet, we did not allow the BJP to come to power,” Ali told IANS.
He said the decision to keep the assembly in suspended animation could only encourage horse-trading.
Ali’s apprehensions seem to be based on the open call Wednesday to JD-S legislators by Karnataka’s BJP leader B.S. Yediyurappa in Shimoga to come out and support a BJP government.
JD-S is the smallest group among the three formations in the state — the Congress, the BJP and the JD-S.
Given the caste configurations in the state, many in the Lingayat community are unhappy with Kumaraswamy for not honouring the agreement with the BJP. Two legislators, Mahima Patel and Vijay Sankeshwar, have already announced their decision to quit the JD-S and support the BJP.
The BJP could emerge the winner in all this.
The Karnataka assembly has a strength of 225. The BJP has 79 MLAs, Congress 65 and the JD-S 58. There are 22 unattached or smaller parties’ or independent MLAs.
In a house of 225, the BJP needs a total of 113 to lead a government. Apart from its own 79 and 22 others, it needs the support of only 19 more to form a government, pointed out a BJP source.
The union cabinet Tuesday accepted Governor Rameshwar Thakur’s recommendation to impose President’s rule in the state.