Union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar worked behind the scenes to persuade Karnataka Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy to part ways with the BJP. Kumaraswamy was initially unwilling to brazenly go back on his words to let the BJP helm the state Government after his 20 month-tenure came to an end. But his father, H D Deve Gowda, had other ideas about power play. He took his son to Pawar for a tutorial on small regional parties and big power politics. Clearly, as the subsequent developments showed, Kumaraswamy was convinced by the Maratha leader’s arguments.
