By IANS
New Delhi : The Janata Dal-Secular (JD-S) Saturday seemed ready to face any eventuality in Karnataka, including possible early elections, after the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) said it was withdrawing support to its coalition with JD-S.
Addressing the media here after the JD-S Political Affairs Committee (PAC) meeting, party chief H.D. Deve Gowda said: “The PAC has reviewed the political situation in the state and endorsed the decision of the state executive not to hand over power to the BJP, and explain to the people of the state the circumstances under which this painful yet extremely necessary step had to be taken.”
He also said that the people of the state would be the “final arbiters”.
Commenting on the Oct 18 trial of strength in the assembly called by his son, Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy, Gowda said: “That is the chief minister’s independent decision.”
“You can see nowhere in our resolution have we asked the chief minister to go for a trial of strength,” the JD-S president said.
However, with no understanding with the Congress in sight so far, the JD-S seems prepared for the inevitable dissolution of the assembly. Deve Gowda said: “We must prepare for any eventuality.”
The PAC met for nearly five hours on the second and final day of its talks here at former prime minister Deve Gowda’s residence.
Gowda also hinted that he was not certain if Governor Rameshwar Thakur would give Kumaraswamy the opportunity to face the house on Oct 18, once Thakur acknowledges withdrawal of support by the BJP.
Asked if he had regained his secular credentials by not allowing the BJP to assume power, the former prime minister said: “The recent elections (municipal elections held on Sep 30) have proved that the JD-S enjoys the confidence of an overwhelming number of the urban electorate.”
Deve Gowda dismissed lightly allegations of not being trustworthy after his party backed out of an agreement to hand over power to the BJP on Oct 3.
When a reporter asked “Can you be trusted?”, Deve Gowda retorted, “By whom?” “By the political parties,” the reporter said. Deve Gowda said: “It is for the people to reply to this.”
He berated the BJP for not dealing with the “national leadership of the party” and reminded that the BJP did not react to several letters written by him. He described the BJP-JD-S coalition as “purely a state-level arrangement”.
There is speculation that with withdrawal of support by the BJP, Kumaraswamy and Deve Gowda are knocking at the doors of the Congress for support.