The Hindu : Front Page : Kumaraswamy firm on BJP tie-up

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Feb 02, 2006

Front Page

Front Page

Kumaraswamy firm on BJP tie-up

Special Correspondent

Cancellation of planned trip to New Delhi leads to suspense, speculation

H.D. Kumaraswamy

Bangalore: Chief Minister-designate H.D. Kumaraswamy did not leave for New Delhi on Wednesday to meet national leaders of the Bharatiya Janata Party as announced earlier. He, however, asserted that despite opposition from his father, H.D. Deve Gowda, the Janata Dal (Secular) group led by him will form the next government with the BJP. The cancellation of his trip to Delhi, while State BJP leaders left to meet their leaders there, led to more suspense and speculation.

To be sworn in on Friday

After holding discussions with the MLAs backing him against the backdrop of Mr. Deve Gowda opposing their plan to tie up with the BJP, Mr. Kumaraswamy told The Hindu that the swearing-in ceremony will be held on Friday. "I have taken all aspects into consideration. It is not that the JD(S) will stray away from its commitment to a secular ideology. Mr. Deve Gowda will continue to be our leader and we will go by his guidance."

Even as Mr. Kumaraswamy was talking to this correspondent, a JD(S) Minister in the Dharam Singh Cabinet was in touch with Chief Secretary B.K. Das to say the JD(S) and the BJP are keen on the swearing-in ceremony being held at 12.15 p.m. on Friday and not at 5 p.m. as originally planned.

Only Mr. Kumaraswamy and the BJP leader B.S. Yediyurappa will be sworn in on that day.

The JD(S) legislators led by Mr. Kumaraswamy will call on Mr. Deve Gowda at his residence on Thursday and seek his blessings for the new government. But they will not heed any call to retrace their steps. "It should not be considered disobedience. I respect my father and the desire of the legislators. But I will go with the latter should the need arise. The ball is not in my court," Mr. Kumaraswamy said.

Confusion

There was widespread confusion among JD(S) legislators and office-bearers throughout the day after Mr. Deve Gowda reiterated that he is firm on playing an active role in politics and will revive the JD(S) even if the legislators, including his son, desert him. What added to the confusion was Mr. Kumaraswamy's cancellation of his trip to Delhi to meet BJP leaders Rajnath Singh, A.B. Vajpayee and L.K. Advani. Tension prevailed even in the BJP camp since Mr. Kumaraswamy was incommunicado for a long time.

Mr. Kumaraswamy said, "There will not be a slip between the cup and the lip as stated by my father. We will form the government with the BJP and there need not be any doubt on that."

Mr. Deve Gowda, meanwhile continued his attempts to make the rebel legislators see his point of view. But there were no takers since the MLAs are against mid-term elections. In their view, the Dharam Singh Government did little for the welfare of the people and they are bound to face defeat if elections are held in the near future.

Mr. Kumaraswamy said just because his father does not want him and the legislators to associate themselves with the BJP, they cannot turn back. "We have gone too far into this arrangement and will now show the people that the JD(S) in association with the BJP can do much better for the people than it could through its alliance with the Congress," he said.

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