Economic Times

Bangalore, Aug 24: Even as confusion reigns supreme over the promised transfer of power from Karnataka chief minister H D Kumaraswamy to deputy chief minister B S Yediyurappa on October 3, the growing rift between the JD(S) and the BJP came to the fore with all the BJP ministers keeping away from the cabinet for 90 minutes.

Exhibiting signs of the exasperated relations among the two ruling parties, Yediyurappa confined himself to his chamber in the Vidhana Soudha, while most of the BJP ministers camped themselves in the chief minister’s office instead of entering the cabinet hall.

The chief minister, anxiously waiting for completing the agenda slated for the meeting so as to rush to the function for formally inaugurating the two new districts of Ramanagara and Chikkaballapur, confined himself to the cabinet hall along with the ministers belonging to his JD(S) party.

Though the BJP ministers declined to publicly spell out the reasons for their silent protest and virtual dharna in the chief minister’s office for an hour and a half instead of attending the cabinet meeting, informed sources said the deputy chief minister and his party colleagues were peeved at the latest decision of Kumaraswamy in appointing G T Chandrashekarappa as a member of the Karnataka Public Service Commission without consulting them.

The chief minister’s public remarks during his tour of Gulbarga indicating that the JD(S) had lost its secular image and credibility by forming a coalition government with the BJP is said to be another grievance.

With neither Yediyurappa nor other BJP ministers showing signs of relenting and sending word that the chief minister himself should come over and sort out the problem through mutual discussion and the latter insisting that the differences could be resolved at the cabinet meeting, it was left to senior BJP ministers like higher education minister D H Shankara Murthy and health minister R Ashok, considered to be quite close to Yediyurappa, to run to the offices of the chief minister and deputy chief minister.

The differences were finally ironed out with the chief minister and other senior JD(S) ministers explaining the circumstances that led to the appointment of Chandrashekarappa as KPSC member. Both the coalition party leaders also agreed to convene a meeting of the co-ordination panel to sort out any other grievances on Friday.

Meanwhile, JD(S) supremo H D Deve Gowda, at a party function, advised his son and chief minister H D Kumaraswamy not to be perturbed by the damage to the secular image of the JD(S) because of the coalition arrangement with the BJP. “What is more important is the kind of governance and leadership that is provided to the people,” he said pointing out that the Janata Dal was the first party in the entire country to provide reservations to Muslims.

He said UP chief minister and BSP leader Mayawati had won a massive mandate despite aligning with the BJP twice. Even TN chief minister M Karunanidhi as well as AIADMK leader Jayalalithaa had aligned with BJP-led NDA without suffering any image problems.

Taking potshots at former deputy chief minister Siddaramaiah, who joined the Congress after quitting the JD(S), Gowda declared: “As long as I am alive, I will not allow the JD(S) to be destroyed by anybody.” At the same time, he clarified that his promise to strengthen the party organisation did not mean the JD(S) was gearing itself to face mid-term polls in the state after dumping the BJP. “All parties must be ready to face elections anytime, especially when the UPA regime itself is shaky and unstable,” he added.