President’s rule stares crisis-ridden Karnataka

Congress-jds coalition government in the state may fall under its own contradictions.

Karnataka, witnessing a political crisis, may be heading for President’s Rule after cracks developing in the Congressjanata Dal (Secular) alliance which prompted Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy threatening to resign.

The state is witnessing political instability and there are speculations that the government may fall under its own contradictions if Congress does not take effective steps to save the situation, sources said, forcing the Centre to impose Central rule.

The Congress, sources said, believes if the situation is not handled properly, the BJP, by giving the Karnataka example, may portray it as a party which cannot run coalition government, especially at a time when country is going for general elections and Opposition parties are working for a ‘mahagathbandhan’ (grand alliance) against the BJP.

The Centre, on its part, is keeping a close watch over the situation. Amidst the volatile situation, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is schedule to visit the state on 10 and 19 February. On 10 February, he would visit Hubli and Dharwad. However, the venue for 19 February programme has not yet been finalized. BJP president Amit Shah is also expected to visit the state on 14 and 21 February.

The Karnataka unit of the BJP held a meeting in Bengaluru this week to discuss the prevailing political situation in the state and for chalking out strategy for the Lok Sabha elections. State party president B.S. Yeddyurappa told the party workers in the meeting that the party would gift 22 out of 28 seats to Prime Minister Narendra Modi. BJP had won 17 seats in the 2014 elections while Congress and JD(S) had got nine and two seats respectively.

Trouble has been brewing up in the alliance ever since the government was formed in May last year. In the 224-member Assembly, the JDS has 37 MLAS while the Congress has 80. The coalition has the support of a few independent MLAS, where the majority figure is 113.

However, fresh crisis was triggered after four Congress MLAS skipped the Congress Legislative Party (CLP) meeting. Subsequently, two independent MLAS also decided to withdraw support from the government.

The difference between the ruling alliance partners have come to such a stage that JD(S) chief and former Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda had to say that he has been in pain over relations with the ally.

“It has been six months since Kumaraswamy became the Chief Minister. All kinds of things have happened in these six months. Till now, I did not open my mouth. But I can’t keep quiet now,” Gowda told a news agency. He said alliances cannot be run by asking the partner everyday to not utter unparliamentary words.

Just a few days ago, CM Kumaraswamy had threatened to step down from the post if the Congress decides to continue with Siddaramaiah. “It will not affect me, but the Congress only. They must control their MLAS. If they want to continue with him (Siddaramaiah), I am ready to step down. They are crossing the line,” he had said.

In July last year also, expressing his unhappiness over the shabby way the Congress was treating him, Kumaraswamy had cried in the public saying he was “swallowing the poison of a coalition government”. Aft her the BJP’S victory in the Jind byelection in Haryana, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to sound the 2019 poll bugle there with a major rally in Kurukshetra on 12 February. He will address 10,000 women representatives of panchayati raj institutions. Among the major events planned are youth meetings across the state on 13 February and motorcycle rallies in all 90 Assembly segments on 2 March.

It is believed that the Haryana Assembly elections, scheduled to be held towards the end of the year, may be organised along with the Lok Sabha elections in April/ May. There is speculation that the Assembly elections in Jharkhand, Maharashtra and J&K may also be brought forward. The Intelligence Bureau and the Army are monitoring terror organisations operating from Pakistan, Kashmir, Punjab, as well as urban Naxals, as they fear that they might make attempts to target Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The Army and J&K’S Special Operations Group police on Tuesday launched search operations in Jammu and Kashmir’s Samba district after suspicious movement of some “armed” men was observed in the Ramgarh sector. PM Modi is scheduled to hold a rally in the Vijaypur area of Samba district on Sunday. The suspicious movement was observed around 1.15 am, in the Basanter river area of Ramgarh sector, after which the Army cordoned off the area.