The Hindu : Front Page : Karnataka Government on the brink

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Thursday, Jan 19, 2006

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Karnataka Government on the brink

Bangalore Bureau

Section of JD (S) stakes claim to form government with BJP; Governor's decision today after legislature session

DRAMATIS PERSONAE: Karnataka BJP leader B.S. Yediyurappa (left) with H.D. Kumaraswamy, working president of the Janata Dal (S), in front of the Raj Bhavan in Bangalore after meeting the Governor. At below, Chief Minister Dharam Singh addresses the press in the wake of the political crisis. With him are his Cabinet colleagues, Deputy CM M.P. Prakash, P.G.R.Sindhia, Srinivas Gowda, Mahadev Prasad, Mallikarjun Kharge and H.K. Patil. _ PHOTOS: BHAGYA PRAKASH K. AND V. SREENIVASA MURTHY

Bangalore: The end of the 19-month-old Dharam Singh Government in Karnataka appeared imminent on Wednesday night with the dominant group in the Janata Dal (Secular) informing Governor T.N. Chaturvedi about its decision to withdraw from the coalition with the Congress and staking claim, along with the Bharatiya Janata Party, to form an alternative government.

The JD (S) group, which comprises 44 members out of its total of 59, announced its decision to align itself with the BJP, the largest group in the 224-member Assembly with 79 members. The group is led by H.D. Kumaraswamy, State JD(S) working president and third son of H.D. Deve Gowda, the former Prime Minister. The undivided JD(S) had until now shunned the BJP as being communal.

We still have majority: Dharam Singh

Later in the night, Chief Minister Dharam Singh called on the Governor and claimed that his Government still enjoyed a majority in the Assembly and requested him not to take cognisance of a letter submitted by Mr. Kumaraswamy withdrawing support to the coalition.

Mr. Dharam Singh was accompanied by Deputy Chief Minister M.P. Prakash, KPCC president and Water Resources Minister Mallikarjuna Kharge, Law Minister H.K. Patil and Finance and Industries Minister P.G.R. Sindhia. They told the Governor that any test of strength should be on the floor of the legislature.

"Letter illegal"

Mr. Prakash said Mr. Kumaraswamy's letter was illegal. Being the duly elected the leader of the Janata Dal Legislature Party, only he could write to the Governor on any such withdrawal, Mr. Prakash said.

Leader of the Opposition in the Assembly B.S. Yediyurappa, of the BJP, announced on Wednesday night that Mr. Kumaraswamy was elected leader of the joint BJP-JD(S) Legislature Party. He was addressing the press along with Mr. Kumaraswamy in front of the Raj Bhavan.

The Governor is expected to announce his decision on Thursday. Sources in the Raj Bhavan told The Hindu that the Governor would address the joint session of the Legislature in the morning and then announce his decision. The session was summoned some time ago and much effort had gone into the preparation of the Governor's address.

BJP vice-president M. Venkaiah Naidu earlier announced here that Mr. Kumaraswamy would be the Chief Minister with Mr. Yediyurappa as Deputy Chief Minister. Under an arrangement agreed upon by the two parties, the JD (S) will lead the government in the first 20 months; a government on the Jammu and Kashmir model. The 12th Karnataka Assembly has still 40 months to complete its term.

Putting an end to day-long speculation, Mr. Kumaraswamy drove to the Raj Bhavan around 6-30 p.m. to inform the Governor that he had been elected leader of the JD (S) and submit in writing that his group was withdrawing support to the Dharam Singh-led Government.

Mr. Kumaraswamy met the Governor for a second time along with Mr.Yediyurappa to stake claim to form a government. Another letter was submitted stating that the party had entered into an understanding with the BJP and seeking an invitation to form the next government.

The decisive action taken by Mr. Kumaraswamy does not have the blessings of his father, Mr. Deve Gowda. The veteran has distanced himself from the developments. He told The Hindu that he had written to the Governor asking him to ignore the claims made by the group of legislators of the JD(S) about withdrawal of support to the Government.

Mr. Prakash and five other Ministers — P.G.R. Sindhia, H.D. Revanna (the second son of Mr. Deve Gowda), D. Manjunath, Amaregowda Bayyapur and Mahadeva Prasad — have not joined the Kumaraswamy group. Two MLAs — Mahima Patel and Parimala Nagappa — are also not a part of the group.

Earlier in the day, in a neatly executed move, JD(S) MLAs elected Mr. Kumaraswamy the new Legislature Party leader in the place of Mr. Prakash. Mr. Kumaraswamy met the Governor accompanied by 43 MLAs, some of them Ministers.In the Assembly, the BJP is the largest group, of which two have rebelled. The Congress has 64 members. The Janata Dal (Secular) has 59 members, of which about eight are supporting the former Deputy Chief Minister, Siddaramaiah. The JD (U) has five members. The CPI(M), the Kannada Chaluvaligars and the Republican Party have one each. There are 14 independents.

PTI reports from New Delhi:

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Wednesday discussed the developments in Karnataka with Defence Minister Pranab Mukherjee.

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