The formation of the Janata Dal(S)-Congress coalition government in Karnataka on Wednesday gave a platform for a host of non-BJP leaders from across the country to look ahead at 2019.
The swearing-in of H.D. Kumaraswamy provided an opportunity for regional satraps to explore the possibility of forging a broader alliance — including Congress and Left parties — ahead of the the Lok Sabha elections to take on the BJP steered by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and party president Amit Shah. Leaders of regional parties — sinking their differences at least for the moment — said the alliance in Karnataka should set the trend for such broader alliances ahead of the 2019 polls.
The regional leaders hailed the Congress’s willingness to play second fiddle to a smaller outfit in Karnataka. The JD(S)-Congress alliance outpaced the BJP, which formed the government first after emerging as the single largest party in the elections.
Former Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda, who led a United Front government with the outside support of the Congress and Left in 1996-97, was the architect of a similar regrouping of regional parties, the Congress and the Left on Wednesday . He personally supervised all arrangements.
Forging ties: Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi and Mayawati during the swearing-in ceremony.
For the first time in many years, a host of national and regional leaders, including former Congress president Sonia Gandhi and present party president Rahul Gandhi, were in Bengaluru. The diverse parties, a few of them an offshoot of the erstwhile Janata Party, have decided to form a broader alliance. A similar unity was formed against Indira Gandhi and the Congress in 1977 and again against the Congress in 1989.
‘Victory for democracy’
During an interaction with Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu, CPI leader D. Raja and others, CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury described the swearing-in as a mark of the “victory for democracy and victory for Opposition”. He said that unless secular forces came together, BJP’s “kidnapping of democracy” could not be prevented.
Speaking at the government guest house, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu and his West Bengal counterpart, Mamata Banerjee, lauded the developments in Karnataka.
“The Congress extending support to a regional party is a good development,” Ms. Banerjee said. “We will exhibit the strength of regional parties.” Mr. Naidu said that regional parties will “give a suitable answer at a suitable time.”
Pinarayi Vijayan, Arvind Kejriwal and V. Narayanswamy, Chief Ministers of Kerala, Delhi and Puducherry, BSP leader Mayawati, NCP leader Sharad Pawar, Samajwadi Party leader Akhilesh Yadav, Rashtriya Janata Dal leader Tejashwi Yadav, Rashtriya Lok Dal president Ajith Singh and former Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren were present. Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao called on Mr. Deve Gowda and his son and congratulated them.
