By IANS
Bangalore : Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Yashwant Sinha Sunday failed to win over Janata Dal-Secular (JD-s) President H.D. Deve Gowda’s nod for power transfer in Karnataka Wednesday, putting their 20-month deal in limbo.
Buoyed by the impressive show of the JD-S in Friday’s civic body polls, Deve Gowda reportedly told Sinha that the present arrangement with his son H.D. Kumaraswamy as chief minister should continue, party sources said.
The JD-S leader referred to grave charges, such as attempt to murder, a BJP minister levelled against Kumaraswamy, and said in such a situation the post of chief minister cannot be handed over to the BJP.
Deve Gowda, a former prime minister, also told Sinha that the alternative was early polls in the state.
The JD-S had agreed to share power with the BJP and pass the post of chief minister to that party in their election accord 20 months ago. The BJP came to support the JD-S after that party severed ties with it’s the then ruling partner Congress.
If implemented, the deal would deliver BJP the first chief minister in south India.
However, the civic body polls, in which the BJP came third, is a pointer to what could be in store for the party if elections are held now for the state assembly. Deve Gowda was said to have indicated this to Sinha during tgheir brief mee3ting Sunday night.
The JD-S bagged over 1,600 seats to emerge on top in the polls held for 209 municipalities.
Counting took place Sunday and Deve Gowda made Sinha, the BJP vice-president and former external affairs minister, wait till late evening to meet him as most of the results would be out by then.
Sinha arrived here Friday night to talk to his party leaders and Deve Gowda after the latter called off talks with BJP central leaders scheduled Thursday in Delhi.
Deve Gowda was unhappy with the BJP following attempt-to-murder charges BJP minister B. Sriramulu made against Chief Minister Kumaraswamy.
The BJP made Sriramulu resign as tourism minister Saturday but the father-son duo were not impressed since the party had not taken any harsh action against Sriramulu or condemned him for levelling such a grave charge.
Sinha, however, maintained that power transfer would be smooth and, if needed, he would meet Deve Gowda again.
JD-S sources said another meeting was unlikely.
Meanwhile, Kumaraswamy called a meeting of his party’s legislators Monday evening to decide on the power transfer.
Deve Gowda is understood to have told Sinha that Kumaraswamy alone cannot decide on the issue. “If he submits the resignation, the party can and will reject it,” he pointed out to Sinha, according JD-S sources.
Deputy Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa of BJP, who is hoping to take over as chief minister from Kumaraswamy, called a meeting of his party ministers Monday.
The meeting might decide on resignation from all BJP ministers on Oct 2 if Kumaraswamy went back on his word.