Former Prime Minister and Janata Dal (Secular) supremo H. D. Deve Gowda on Wednesday hinted of political changes in Karnataka after the scheduled by-elections on December 5.
Speaking to media persons in Mysuru before leaving for campaigning at Hunsur, he said it was unthinkable that the Shiv Sena, the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and the Congress would cobble up a coalition and hence anything was possible in future.
If the Shiv Sena-NCP-Congress combine could provide an able administration for five years, it would usher in changes in the country’s polity, he said.
When asked if there could be a fallout of the Maharashtra experiment in Karnataka after the by-elections, he stated that it would have a profound impact on the entire country.
However, he averred that the JD(S) was not joining with the Congress in the coming by-elections though both had the common goal of ensuring the defeat of the defectors and the disqualified MLAs who are seeking re-election.
He said one had to analyse the cause for the collapse of the coalition government in the State and the factors that precipitated the crisis. “Fourteen Congress MLAs and three JD(S) MLAs defected, resulting in the by-elections and people of the State are aware of it. The Congress and the JD(S) did not go together in the Assembly or the parliamentary elections and we were dubbed as the ‘B team’ of the BJP”.
Mr. Gowda accused the BJP of using money power and misusing institutions such as the Enforcement Directorate to harass the Opposition. It was this which made Chief Minister B. S. Yediyurappa confident enough to claim that they would win all the 15 seats, he said, adding, “We have our limitations and have devised our strategy accordingly.”
