Bengaluru: “It’s too early to say anything… I have never said the government will collapse and I shouldn’t say it also. What I’m saying is there will be political ups and downs after May 23 results, anything may happen. I’m not saying we will form the government or we will come to power,” said B S Yeddyurappa yesterday.
He pointed out that the stability of the ruling coalition government in Karnataka depended on the what stand the 20 disgruntled Congress legislators would take and based on this there would be political ups and downs after the general election results are declared on 23 May.
The State BJP president further stated that his party would not form an alliance with the JD(S) even if a situation arose.
Those in BJP were not political sanyasis, he remarked when asked whether his party was responsible differences between the coalition partners. “I want to say one thing clearly: Kumaraswamy had betrayed me after deciding to share power 20 months each (in 2006). There is no question of coming to an understanding with JD(S). There is no question of coalition government (with that party),” Yeddyurappa said.
It is to be noted that in 2006, the BJP and a section of JD(S) MLAs forged an alliance to form a government on the basis of a power-sharing deal. According to the deal, Kumaraswamy and Yeddyurappa would be the chief minister for 20 months each. But the JD(S) refused to transfer power to Yeddyurappa after 20 months, and in October 2007 the BJP decided to withdraw support to the Kumaraswamy government.
The former chief minister further pointed out that there is a lot of confusion in Karnataka politics and it is certain that Narendra Modi will become the prime minister again, and the results of Lok Sabha polls will have an implication on the State too.
“I’m not day dreaming to say that their (Congress and JD(S)) government should collapse. Let them concentrate on them being together. Am I responsible for Congress and JD(S) fighting each other; am I responsible for differences between them?” he asked, while speaking to reporters.
Also, rebel Congress MLA Ramesh Jarkiholi, who has been hobnobbing with the BJP for some time has been threatening that he along with other MLAs would resign from the party soon in bulk, which has caused fear among the ruling coalition leaders as it would trigger the number game in the assembly. Adding to this is a meeting of “like-minded” MLAs that is likely to take place under the leadership Congress legislator S T Somashekar, soon after the by-polls for Kundgol and Chincholi assembly segments ends on 19 May, to discuss issues faced by MLAs under the coalition government and long-pending development work, which is worrying the alliance leaders.
Yeddyurappa predicted the defeat of former Union ministers Veerappa Moily in Chikkaballapur and K H Muniyappa in Kolar and that in Tumkur the chances BJP winning is more against former prime minister H D Deve Gowda, in Mandya independent candidate Sumalatha Ambareesh supported by the party will win 100 per cent against Kumaraswamy’s son Nikil, while there is a fight in Hassan, where Gowda’s other grandson Prajwal Revanna is the JD(S) nominee.
Yeddyurappa also said the party high-command will decide on the next state unit president, and he would continue as the leader of the opposition.