In Karnataka’s worst-ever political crisis, former Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda has emerged the sole winner.
BANGALORE: In Karnataka’s worst-ever political crisis, former Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda has emerged the sole winner.
Or at lest for the time being. It is not just for his own party. Gowda has also proved to not only the BJP and the Congress but even to his own JD(S) men that it’s he who calls the shots.
Though Gowda had kept a distance with BJP, he could do little when his son Kumaraswamy staged a coup in January 2006 to bring down the Congress-JD(S) coalition government and became the chief minister with BJP’s help.
He had thought it would belittle his “secular credentials” and jeopardise his political career in the centre.
After some time, he patched up with Kumaraswamy and waited -but only till the junior completed his term.
The BJP had been administered its first jolt when Gowda told his son and his supporters not to hand over power to BJP as per the coalition agreement. Gowda told them that the Congress would support Kumaraswamy from outside to keep the BJP away.
But things didn’t go right, as even his friends in the Left parties had begun to suspect his secular credentials. Gowda also failed to revive his contacts with the Congress. This paved way for a fresh renewal of the BJP-JD(S) coalition for which the BJP national leaders did not agree at first.
But, the JD(S) MLAs were restless as they were chary of elections. Meanwhile, senior party leader MP Prakash made a futile bid to hold talks with the Congress leaders in Delhi and form an alternative government in the State. Alerted by the developments, Gowda asked Kumaraswamy to revive his ties with the BJP.
He also held talks with senior BJP leaders like Rajanath Singh and LK Advani to convince them that he would back a government formed by the BJP.
At the same time Gowda apparently began to work exactly in the opposite direction. While Yeddyurappa took oath as the chief minister, Gowda revived a communication channel with the Congress.
After returning from Delhi, he insisted that the BJP should sign 12 terms and conditions on a bond paper. Taken aback by the fresh development, BJP tried to buy time - stating that they would sign after it won the confidence vote in the Assembly.
On his part, Gowda was in Delhi on Monday waiting to meet AICC president Sonai Gandhi on forming a government.
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
)
)
)
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}