KUMARASWAMY WARMS UP TO BJP, BUT REFUTES JDS’ MERGER RUMOURS

BENGALURU: Karnataka Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa and former Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy put out statements late on Sunday night that talks of a BJP and JDS merger are baseless and that the latter is supporting the saffron party on an issue-to-issue basis only.

The camaraderie between the two political leaders had led to speculations of a merger, especially after the unruly scenes on the floor of the upper house when the BJP and JDS came together to placate Congress’s chairman Prathap Chandra Shetty. However, the changing political weather in Karnataka has prompted all the big leaders to jump into the issue with their own takes on the unfolding developments.

On Monday, both BSY and HDK clarified again that there was absolutely no truth to rumours about any kind of a merger. While BSY maintained that it is insulting to talk about a merger, as both former Chief Minister HDK and former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda were striving to preserve the JDS, HDK, on the other hand, said that the JDS, which is the only regional party in Karnataka, prides itself of being a party of Kannadigas and to merge JDS with BJP would be a display of plain stupidity. Going a step ahead, HDK said that his real politicking will begin in 2023, when the state goes to the polls, and that he is preparing the ground for the all-important elections.

The Chief Minister, in a statement, dismissed reports, describing them as ‘’pure lies’’. “The confusing news that JD(S) MLAs will join BJP or the JD(S) merging with BJP is pure lies. There is nothing like that,” he said. Yediyurappa said that the JD(S) had extended support only on the issue of removing the legislative council chairman from his post. The JD(S), he pointed out, had not supported the BJP on bringing the anti-cow slaughter bill due to which the government had to take the ordinance route.

“I want to clarify that for Janata Dal Secular, the situation of committing suicide by merging with another party has not yet come. I don’t foresee such a situation gripping us in the future too,’’ HDK tweeted.

Stating that JD(S) is a party of Kannadigas with self-esteem and would never think of such a move, former chief minister HDK said that his party “will never display such stupidity.” “At the most, we may extend issue-based support to the BJP, if needed in the coming days, in public interest. No importance needs to be attached to any imaginary reports in this regard,’’ HDK said.

“Didn’t the Congress party withdraw support for the IK Gujral-led government citing DMK link to Rajiv Gandhi’s assassination and later entered into an alliance with the same party for over a decade? Didn’t DMK join hands with both NDA and UPA? Didn’t Nitish Kumar tie up with RJLD and then dump it and join hands with BJP? There are dozens of such examples. We are supporting BJP on select issues and we will do whatever it takes to support BJP as long as it benefits the people. Wherever we feel the people will get adversely affected, we will oppose them,’’ said HDK, adding that his father’s secular credentials was the only reason why he agreed to a JDS-Congress coalition government. He also said that it was only because of Congress’ double standards that he has been forced to take such steps.

About talks of JDS being the B-team of the BJP, he shot back at Siddaramaiah, stating that it was the Congress which came to his doorstep with the proposal and if JDS was indeed the B-team, the question of agreeing to Congress’ proposal wouldn’t have arisen.