Gowda, son keep BJP guessing, waiting

A week ahead of the scheduled transfer of power in Karnataka from the Janata Dal Secular to the BJP, former Prime Minister and JDS leader H D Deve Gowda has put the ruling coalition Government on life support system.

A week ahead of the scheduled transfer of power in Karnataka from the Janata Dal Secular to the BJP, former Prime Minister and JDS leader H D Deve Gowda has put the ruling coalition Government on life support system.

The JDS National President turned his back on a scheduled meeting with BJP chief Rajnath Singh and Yashwant Sinha to negotiate the power transition issue, citing a murder complaint filed against his son, Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy, by the BJP Tourism Minister B Sriramulu in Bellary.

Meanwhile, Kumaraswamy sent conflicting signals, saying he would step down as per the power-sharing accord with the BJP, but later retracting his statement. 8220;Only on October 3, I will let people know what I will do,8221; he said.

Gowda, who was scheduled to meet the BJP leaders in New Delhi on Thursday afternoon, said he returned to Bangalore in the morning after hearing about developments in Bellary, including a complaint to the Election Commission by BJP leaders against the district administration.

8220;This is the first time in the history of the state politics that a murder complaint has been filed against the Chief Minister by a Minister in the Government. The atmosphere is not conducive for talks with senior BJP leaders. If the atmosphere is cleared and if BJP leaders express desire to talk, I will talk,8221; said Gowda.

Gowda, however, refused to spell out what action he expected from the BJP. 8220;It is an internal issue of the BJP. Let8217;s see how they sort this out. These Bellary leaders earlier dragged Kumaraswamy into a bribery case and a mining scam, but Kumaraswamy was patient. This time it is a more serious charge,8221; he said.

The JDS leader8217;s announcement comes a day ahead of crucial polls to 209 urban local bodies in Karnataka. The polls have generated maximum heat in the iron-ore rich, mining town of Bellary where the JDS and the BJP are pitted against each other.

Story continues below this ad

The BJP has promised to take Gowda8217;s concerns seriously. 8220;What he has said will be taken seriously, but our first priority is the urban local body polls. The full attention of our leaders is on the polls. After the polls, we will attend to the feelings expressed by Gowda and try to resolve it,8221; state BJP general secretary Suresh Kumar said.

The BJP is of the view that Bellary politics must not be allowed to hamper the coalition, he said. Kumar also said convening a coordination committee meeting of the two parties at the state level could resolve the issue.

Sources in the BJP said the JDS is angling for more than action against the BJP Minister. Important portfolios like the Home and Urban Development Ministries could be on the negotiating table, the sources said.