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JD(S) to hold key meet amid discord murmurs
In the last few weeks, the party’s top leadership was seen making scathing remarks against at least three of their legislators that include GT Deve Gowda, SR Srinivas (Vasu) and now K Srinivas Gowda who represent Chamundeshwari, Gubbi and Kolar constituencies respectively.
The Janata Dal (Secular) is scheduled to meet on Monday, the first of the 10-day session of the state legislature, not only to discuss the party’s strategy but also to decide the next course of action against growing discontent within its ranks.
In the last few weeks, the party’s top leadership was seen making scathing remarks against at least three of their legislators that include GT Deve Gowda, SR Srinivas (Vasu) and now K Srinivas Gowda who represent Chamundeshwari, Gubbi and Kolar constituencies respectively.
Considering the party has just 32 legislators out of the 225 seats in the state legislature, possibility of a disciplinary action and growing discontent within the party against them constitutes a larger problem for former prime minister HD Deve Gowda and former chief minister HD Kumaraswamy-led regional outfit.
“It (taking disciplinary action) is still in discussion and nothing has been decided. This issue (disciplinary action) is likely to come up on Monday,” HD Kumaraswamy, the state president of the JD(S) told Hindustan Times on Friday.
“The session is on for two weeks and we will get an idea on this (on growing dissent),” he added.
The three legislators who are likely to face disciplinary action could not be reached for comment.
The JD(S), whose support mainly comes from the Vokkaligas, believed to be the second largest caste group in the state, is now running short of options to keep its flock together, analysts said.
“The JD(S) is nothing but a fill-in-the-gap party. They will go with whoever assures them power,” said a north Karnataka-based political analyst, requesting not to be named.
He added that the party’s “unprincipled” political functioning will further add to its oblivion in the state as workers get disenchanted with its functioning and enamoured by the rise of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
The JD(S) is the only major political outfit that has allied both with the BJP and the Congress in the past and had bitter fall outs, albeit temporarily. The party continues to have alliances at the local level with the two national parties that has added to the disenchantment of grass root level workers ahead of the soon-to-be held zilla and taluk panchayat elections apart from the 2023 assembly polls. The JD(S) is in talks with the BJP in Kalaburagi district where the Urban Local Body (ULB) polls held on September 3 has given the former a chance once again to play the role of a ‘kingmaker’, which it has played in state and local administration on more than one occasion.
The BJP is also trying to mobilise support in the southern districts of Karnataka where JD(S) draws most of its strength in terms of elected representatives to the lower house of the legislature.
The BJP is also eyeing reach out to the Vokkaliga community by first forming a board and doling out a whopping ₹500 crore for it. The party can also help benefit the community amid the raging caste census row. The Vokkaligas have at least so far firmly stood behind HD Deve Gowda.
The dominant communities like Vokkaligas and Lingayats have now come together to oppose the release of the findings of the caste census data that was commissioned by the Siddaramaiah-led Congress government in 2015 as a way to safeguard their dominant position in the state.
On the other hand, a group of extremely backward castes approached the Karnataka high court in August to compel the Basavaraj Bommai-led BJP government to release the findings of the caste census as a way to block attempts by more dominant communities from moving up the reservation ladder.
Another Benglauru-based analyst said that it would be more beneficial for the BJP to side with the dominant communities demand rather than depend on the support of a fragmented backward classes group who are not known to vote en-masse.
“(HD) Deve Gowda, Kumaraswamy and HD Revanna, who are liked by all political parties, will continue to be kingmakers and this could go up to 2023 elections also. We cannot rule them out,” Professor Chambi Puranik, a political analyst said.
He added that those leaving the party or considering it are doing so to secure their own future or that of their family’s and not because of ideological reasons.
