Handing over Power - Deve Gowda & Co Getting Ready to Shatter BJP's Dreams?
from special correspondent
Daijiworld Media Network – Bangalore (NR)
Bangalore, Sep 3: As the day for handing over the post of chief ministership is fast approaching nearer, a sense of high drama can be felt all over, in the state politics of Karnataka. The present chief minister H D Kumaraswami has started issuing vague statements with regard to the handing over of his current authority. Sensing this B S Yediyurappa, who is expected to become the next chief minister and the first one from BJP has started appeasing JD (S) leaders.
H D Deve Gowda, the JD(S) supremo, has openly warned BJP that his party, the JD (S) would hand-over authority only if BJP follows ‘Raj Dharma.’ But what is intriguing is that Deve Gowda has not clarified what exactly he means by ‘Raj Dharma.’ This clearly raises doubts about Deve Gowda’s move, as to how he will interpret this pertinent point called ‘Raj Dharma.’
On the other hand, few of the JD (S) ministers have begun giving out statements hinting that H D Kumaraswami will continue as chief minister even after his term ends. Ministers like Iqbal Ansari and D T Jayakumar have started releasing such statements over the past several months. Few sources say that JD (S) supremo H D Deve Gowda and chief minister H D Kumaraswami, both are behind these gimmicks.
As per the prior agreement reached between JD(S) and BJP, chief minister H D Kumaraswami is to handover the chief minister’s chair on October 3, to BJP who also happen to be one of the coalition partners in the State. Due to this uncertain factor, RSS, the ideological guru of BJP has now started guiding BJP.
If BJP assumes charge as per the agreed agenda, Yediyurappa will become the first BJP chief minister of South India. BJP has not enjoyed and assumed power in any state in South India so far. Hence, this will indeed be a significant moment in the history of the BJP and once this happens, the RSS is waiting in the wings, ready to grab the opportunity to propogate and implement its ideologies effectively in the south. It is with this intention that it is often said that Karnataka is the gateway to BJP to establish itself in South India.
Meanwhile, progressive forces in the state are getting apprehensive and expressing their displeasure over the BJP taking charge. Some progressive thinkers point out that although BJP is just one of the coalition partners of the government, all state police stations are under the control of Bajrang Dal activists.
Moreover they worry that BJP is also dominating all sections of the administration. Thus all these factors indicate that there is a strong wave of displeasure and resentment against the BJP taking charge in the state.
Watching all these developments with interest and curiosity from the sidewings is the opposition Congress party. It is carefully pondering over this drama and appears to be chalking out its future moves. Already a demand has been made by a section of JD (S) to form government along with Congress, after Kumaraswami’s tenure ends on October 3. However, senior Congress leaders are not too keen on taking up this offer. Mallikarjun Kharge, D K Shivkumar and other Congress leaders have expressed their strong opposition to any kind of dealing with the JD(S), about whom they are quite wary, in view of the past experience.
All these recent developments in the state political scenario clearly signify an atmosphere of political turmoil. This has led to several political commentators to predict a mid-term assembly poll pretty soon.