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ShareThe crisis in the ruling BJP in Karnataka is showing every sign of subsiding for the present, unless the Reddy brothers of Bellary have an ace up their sleeve. It looks like the party high command has quickly jumped in to protect BS Yeddyurappa by, at the least, buying time to address the issues the Reddys have raised, on the plea that the state needs to focus on extensive flood relief in North Karnataka for the moment.
The very fact that the state's revenue minister, Karunakara Reddy, rushed back to Bangalore from Bellary, where he and his brothers launched a housing rehabilitation programme on their own, on being summoned by Arun Jaitley, the high command's interlocutor, is indicative of the fact that the dissidents still do not have enough ammunition to destabilise the government.
To do that, they would need a lot more than the dozen members they have currently on their side. Another group of disgruntled legislators, led by Renukacharya, are also making noises but so far seem to be somewhat independent of the Reddy brothers.If that is the case, and if they are solely gunning at a couple of ministers, Shobha Karandlaje, for instance, it is probably to strike a better bargain.
If the numbers do not add up -- they do not seem to be at present -- the chief minister will be able to breathe easy for a while, but some damage will be done to his reputation. More importantly, dissidence, like a nagging cold in Bangalore's monsoon, has a way of lingering in some form or the other, and will surely hobble Yeddyurappa, unless he applies quick correctives to his style of administration.
A significant part of the problem in the government is that decisions are rarely evolved through consultation and consensus, and quite often most activities of the government are projected as being Yeddyurappa-centric.
While this has worked in some areas, particularly so far as raising resources for flood relief is concerned, quite a number of ministers feel left out of the process.The Reddy brothers have the clout to articulate such a discontent; not others. That is what is likely to save the day for the chief minister.
The Reddy brothers have certainly achieved some of their objectives after they set out to take on the chief minister, complaining that he was interfering in their departments without even having the courtesy to notify them.They have first by refusing to talk to him directly, got the high command to be a party to the crisis, no matter how short-lived it might be.
By that they surely hope to have a direct line with the party bosses in Delhi in the future.
Their ability to raise resources on their own to build houses for the needy in the flood ravaged northern districts of Karnataka, independent of the state machinery, suggests a different gameplan--to cultivate a large constituency so that, in due course of time, they would emerge as champions of the cause of North Karnataka.
If that is their intent, it would mean a calculated effort to expand their base in over 100 constituencies in that region. Any party which controls and wins North Karnataka has a headstart in leading the government.It is probably that space that the mining lords hope to occupy.
The writer is DNA's political consultant
