Putting an end to all speculation about the BJP toppling the HD Kumaraswamy-led JD(S)-Congress coalition in Karnataka, BJP strongman BS Yeddyurappa spiked all the rumours and said BJP would concentrate on 2019 lok Saba polls. He told the media in Bengaluru on Tuesday that his party would “silently” watch the goings-on in the ruling Congress-JD(S) coalition without trying to take any advantage of the “confusing” situation and instead focus on the 2019 lok Sabha polls.
After Yeddyurappa went to meet BJP president Amit Shah in Ahmedabad on Monday the rumours of BJP trying to topple one-month-old HD Kumaraswamy Government went reverberating in the corridors of power. He had an hour long meeting on the political situation with Shah.
Yeddyurappa said his party would play the role of a responsible opposition and focus on winning maximum seats in the lok Sabha polls in the state.
"... There is a confusing situation... Siddaramaiah (ClP leader) makes some statement and Kumaraswamy (Chief Minister) makes a different statement. In this confusing situation we don't want to intervene," he said. "I have requested all our BJP leaders that in such a situation we should silently watch the political developments, without speaking much," he said.
"They (Congress-JDS) are fighting against each other, it is left to them," he said. Yeddyurappa said the party did not have anything to do with the political uncertainty and added that media speculation (about BJP) have no basis
Differences have emerged between the Congress and the JDS on a host of issues, including presentation of a full-fledged budget.
Former Chief Minister and chairman of the Congress-JD(S) coordination committee Siddaramaiah had openly suggested that there was no need for a fresh budget and insisted that a supplementary budget would do. But Kumaraswamy went ahead and asserted that he would present a full budget on July 5.
Yeddyurappa's trip to meet Shah had fuelled speculation that several disgruntled Congress MlAs were in touch with him and ready to switch over to the BJP, which might again try its hand to form a Government in the state. Clarifying on his visit, the BJP leader said he had gone to invite Shah for the party state executive meeting on June 29.
On Sunday, a video clip purportedly showing Siddaramaiah expressing displeasure over presentation of a fresh budget to some Congress MlAs went viral. Kumaraswamy had on Monday sharply reacted to this and said an attempt was being made to create confusion about presentation of the full-fledged budget.
"Prime Minister Narendra Modi and party president Amit Shah's expectation is that we win the maximum number of seats from Karnataka. So we will begin our work on this. We will discuss about it," Yeddyurappa added.
Even though it is anyone's guess about the longevity of the fragile coalition of Congress and JDs in Karnataka, a BJP leader on the condition anonymity said party elders have cautioned state BJP not venture into any such thing of toppling the Government with poaching of disgruntled congress MlAS through operation Kamala(lotus).
A BJP leader however said many congress netas who are upset with the party for going with JDs and making Kumaraswamy the Chief Minister are ready to cross over to saffron party. "It needs just 16 MlAs to break the party and the government will collapse. But the party high command has told us to wait as it is going to fall on its own. The thinking is about in such case keeping the house in suspended animation and go for simultaneous elections in 2019" he added.