Karnataka: Why JD(S) seems headed for a split over alliance with BJP

Drawing flak from its political opponents for forging tie-up with “communal BJP” and often dubbed as a “father-son party”, the Janata Dal (Secular) has been witnessing a series of dramatic incidents with “expelled” state party president CM Ibrahim and his aides claiming to have removed former Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda from the post of JD(S) national president.

Earlier, JD(S) leaders including Deve Gowda and his son HD Kumaraswamy, at a meeting held in the party office, expelled the already suspended Ibrahim and national vice-president CK Nanu for “anti-party activities”. The former PM announced the decision to expel the two leaders even as Ibrahim opposed the move in his presence. Subsequently, the disgruntled leaders convened a national executive meeting in Bengaluru and a "consensus decision was reached to remove" Deve Gowda from the position of the party’s national chief.

Later, Ibrahim, Nanu and other leaders from different states conducted a meeting and claimed that they were the “original” JD(S) leaders and elected 86-year-old Nanu as the new president of the party in place of Deve Gowda. Nanu previously served as a minister in the Kerala state cabinet.

Addressing the meeting, Ibrahim said that JD(S) is a party based on secular ideology and follows the principles of Mahatma Gandhi. He questioned whether it was right for the JD(S) to ally with those who opposed Gandhi. “I have been in Janata Dal for the past many years. Deve Gowda, who expelled me from the JD(S), should answer whether the action taken by the party is right,” he asked.

Not in loop

“The party has joined hands with the BJP without seeking the opinion of others in the party, including me. We condemn the behaviour of Deve Gowda who sacrificed Gandhiji’s principles and entered into an alliance with the BJP just to win elections. We are with the INDIA bloc,” he said. He would hold talks with alliance leaders like Rahul Gandhi, Nitish Kumar, Akhilesh Yadav and others, he added.

Later, Nanu said, “The real Janata Dal is the party led by us which has incorporated the same secular ideology without giving up the principles of Gandhiji. Secular character is the soul of our party.”

A JD(S) MLA from Mysuru region said this move by the rebel camp may lead to a legal tussle as Ibrahim’s team is claiming that they are “original” JD(S), which has the bylaw of secular principles. “However, Deve Gowda and his son have violated the principles by having tie-up with the BJP without keeping the party leaders in a loop.”

Ibrahim and his team have pointed out that they will approach the Election Commission soon to appoint a new national president and expel the leaders including HD Kumaraswamy and others. “Though it remains to be seen whether the EC will approve of it, the move will certainly irk Deve Gowda and HDK. It will also be the first step to approach the court to stake a claim on the party. Ibrahim’s team may lose or win the legal battle, but will certainly create confusion in the JD(S), apart from sending out a negative message to the general public,” said K Mahadevappa, a political commentator.

Many MLAs upset?

The party has 19 MLAs in the state assembly and many of them are not happy with HD Kumaraswamy and his decision to join hands with BJP. They understand the strategy of the BJP to weaken the JD(S) Vokkaliga leaders and strengthen the BJP base. A JD(S) MLA told The Federal the recent actions by Kumaraswamy were clearly showing his intention to go with BJP. “We have a secular ideology and we fought against communalism. We can't go with this leadership,” he said.

“To form a separate group in the assembly, we need two-thirds of the numbers and we are trying to gather more MLAs. Around 10 MLAs out of 19 MLAs are not happy with the development and are maintaining a silence,” he said. Some leaders have hinted that they want to form a separate group with the JD(S) name and this is the reason Ibrahim is trying to claim the “original JD(S)” plan. There are JD(S) MLAs, who are backing him to plan the strategy and form a separate faction of JD(S), which will not hamper their leadership in the Old Mysuru region.

A leader with the HDK camp told The Federal that Deve Gowda and Kumaraswamy are aware of it, but keeping mum. They have resorted to a wait-and-watch approach and would see what the Ibrahim camp does next. “HDK is having a tie-up with BJP as Siddaramaiah has become the tallest leader in the Old Mysuru region. Besides, Deputy CM DK Shivakumar is spreading his base in the region and becoming a strong Vokkaliga leader. However, HDK's move will endanger the JD(S) base and will only help BJP to get more vote share in the coming elections,” he said.

Rift in family too

In 1999, a faction of the undivided Janata Dal led by former CM Ramakrishna Hegde and others supported the BJP-led NDA and named itself JD (United). The move forced the Deve Gowda faction to divide the party and float JD (Secular) just to keep away from BJP’s “communal agenda” as stated by Deve Gowda then. Now, the party is again on the verge of a split as the Ibrahim faction is claiming that they are the “original” JDS. If they don’t win the legal battle, they will form a separate party identifying with Janata Dal, a senior leader said.

The troubles for the JD(S) don’t end here. There is a rift between HD Ravanna and HD Kumaraswamy as well, which has created two power centres in the political family. It came to the fore during the last assembly elections. Revanna is concerned due to the importance being given to Kumaraswamy’s family in the party. It is said that Revanna is “more secular” and shares a “good rapport” with Congress leaders including CM Siddaramaiah and Deputy CM DK Shivakumar. This is exactly the reason why the Ibrahim faction is eyeing Revanna and wishes to get him into their faction, a source said.