Journalism of Courage
WITH THE Congress seemingly grappling with internal crisis after forming a coalition government with the Janata Dal (Secular) in Karnataka, the BJP is smelling blood and is set to cash in on differences between the ruling partners and the growing disillusionment among state Congress leaders over the present arrangement, sources in the BJP said. The BJP, which had targeted then CM Siddaramaiah in the run-up to the elections in May, has now decided to adopt a “soft line” towards him, a move that party leaders say would worsen his ties with his own party’s leadership. “We are closely watching the moves in the Siddaramaiah camp. It is clear that his group is getting consolidated,” a BJP leader said.
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Siddaramaiah, who is seen as sulking over the Congress leadership’s decisions to tie up with the JD(S), with which he had a bitter parting more than a decade ago, is understood to have expressed his displeasure over the current arrangement. Videos have emerged which purportedly show Siddaramaiah expressing doubts about the longevity of the Congress-JD(S) alliance, as well as Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy’s decision to present a full-fledged Budget, rejecting his suggestion to present a vote-on-account.
Pointing out that the BJP has already reduced its attacks on Siddaramaiah, the party leader said, “The BJP had demonised Siddaramaiah during the campaign, which worked well since he was the main force behind the Congress campaign. But now the party has to see the fall of the Congress in Karnataka.”
According to a source in the party, the “task” is not tough, as the “faultiness in the Congress are already clear”.
Karnataka is one of the few states where the BJP sees prospects of increasing its tally from the 2014 Lok Sabha polls. Sources said the party would train its guns on the Congress, and try and alienate it from other parties, including the JD(S). “The BJP will use every opportunity to weaken the Congress,” a party leader said.
On Friday, both BJP state president B S Yeddyurappa and national general secretary P Muralidhar Rao, speaking at the state executive meeting, drove home the point that the current government in Karnataka is a 37-legislator government and highlighted the unhappiness of Siddaramaiah, party sources said.
The BJP hopes that differences among some senior Congress leaders, including Siddaramaiah, and the party leadership will increase in the coming days, making it easy for the BJP to “poach” ahead of the 2019 elections.
