Karnataka unhinged | Latest News India - Hindustan Times
close_game
close_game

Karnataka unhinged

Hindustan Times | By
Nov 20, 2007 09:27 PM IST

The JD(S) on its own can never hope to be a national presence without the support of larger parties. Deve Gowda has curtailed his party’s growth prospects by his churlish behaviour.

Even by India’s fickle political standards, the Karnataka drama amounts to scrapping the bottom of the barrel. The fact that the Janata Dal (Secular) and the BJP did not see eye to eye was clear from the beginning. Hence the ridiculous tantrums thrown by JD(S) chief H.D. Deve Gowda when the issue of handing over power to the BJP arose. The two parties had entered into an agreement to share office, the unspoken deal being to keep the Congress out of power in the state. For the BJP, the ascension to power of the B.S. Yeddyurappa government signalled the first-ever BJP government in South India. The party’s efforts to make inroads south of the Vindhyas had not been successful until now but this unseemly betrayal by the JD(S) could well give the party a shot in the arm.

HT Image
HT Image

Earlier Mr Deve Gowda had made a big issue of his son H.D. Kumaraswamy throwing in his lot with the ‘communal’ BJP. But, sooner rather than later, father and son seemingly reconciled to this power-sharing arrangement that left many political experts puzzled. Now, it turns out that Mr Gowda Sr is not so much unsettled by the BJP’s non-secular credentials as its unwillingness to hand over two lucrative portfolios to his party. In addition, the patriarch wanted the dismissal of former Tourism Minister B. Sriramulu who had levelled a murder charge against Mr Kumaraswamy. This will do nothing to add to the lustre of the JD(S) and makes the possibility of a third front ever more distant. In indulging in such petty antics, Mr Gowda has handed over the sympathy vote to the BJP. It is now clear that his prime concern is that the BJP does not go into the next assembly elections while in office. His party’s chances would have been enhanced had he stuck to his side of the bargain and let the BJP government run its course.

Hindustan Times - your fastest source for breaking news! Read now.

Mr Deve Gowda is being shortsighted here. The way ahead in politics appears to be through coalitions. The JD(S) on its own can never hope to be a national presence without the support of larger parties. Mr Deve Gowda has curtailed his party’s growth prospects by his churlish behaviour. The spell of President’s Rule ahead should give him and his partymen some time to contemplate on a wiser course of action.

Unveiling Elections 2024: The Big Picture', a fresh segment in HT's talk show 'The Interview with Kumkum Chadha', where leaders across the political spectrum discuss the upcoming general elections. Watch now!

Get Current Updates on India News, Election 2024, Mukhtar Ansari Death News Live, Bihar Board 10th Result 2024 Live along with Latest News and Top Headlines from India and around the world.
SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
Share this article
SHARE
Story Saved
Live Score
OPEN APP
Saved Articles
Following
My Reads
Sign out
New Delhi 0C
Friday, March 29, 2024
Start 14 Days Free Trial Subscribe Now
Follow Us On