It’s DKS or bust
If there’s a man of the moment from the Congress batting order, it’s D.K. Shivakumar. His rain-soaked, lone soldier figure outside the glitzy hotel in Mumbai where Karnataka’s rebel MLAs were holed up, complete with roadside dinner of momos and coffee, has infused some fighting spirit in the beleaguered Congress camp. Milind Deora and Sanjay Nirupam of the Mumbai Congress, not really the best of friends, had to come out in support.
Mani Shankar Aiyar, lying low ever since his loose tongue cost the party dear, was enthused enough to tweet that DKS be made the Congress chief. Well, it’s another matter that within the state not everyone is thrilled with his aggressive endeavour to save the JDS-Congress coalition government.
That’s not even counting the rebels and the fence-sitters — rather, it’s those who have come to the assembly winning their seats against JDS in South Karnataka, particularly Old Mysuru region. Siddaramaiah being no exception. The buzz has it that the former CM would not actually mind becoming the leader of the opposition.
Plan B?
Was JDS Minister Sara Mahesh’s encounter with BJP leaders Eshwarappa and Muralidhar Reddy — at Bengaluru’s power hub, Kumara Krupa or KK guesthouse, run by the state tourism department — really a matter of chance? Reddy would have us believe so: he even tweeted to emphasise the serendipity of the meeting.
The BJP leaders even claimed the whole thing was a ‘plant’ from JDS supremo H.D. Deve Gowda to demoralise the rebels. But why would the rebels get upset? Simple really, claims an insider.
If the BJP’s Plan B — of tying up with JDS — is out of the bag, then the rebels become redundant. It’s not really unknown that, around February, precisely such a proposal was floated. It was only BSY’s adverse equation with Gowda Sr that came in the way.
Kaun banega CM?
That’s a big question swirling around in the Bengaluru air. Not many are betting on the government surviving. Surprisingly, not many are betting on B.S. Yeddyurappa becoming CM either! Well, those doubters are outside the BJP inner circle, but still.
In the midst of the tug-of-war over MLAs, another sort of compromise is also being talked about: within the coalition, with the CM changing. Many names have been floated as compromise candidates — from DKS to Siddaramaiah to Ramalinga Reddy. The air is thick with both real and artificially created mystery as of now.
Changes in the BJP
If senior Congress leaders are to be believed, the GOP will soon have a new chief, a ‘consensus candidate’. No election there.
However, it’s in the BJP that many changes are expected in the next three months when J.P. Nadda’s role as party chief gets formalised. Old RSS hand Ram Lal’s replacement with V. Satish is just the beginning.
Satish is considered a hard-working, self-effacing RSS hand, not very much younger than Ram Lal. So why the latter was shifted out of the BJP, after a 12-year stint, to a relatively low-profile position in the RSS hierarchy, is still a mystery.
There’s no move though to replace any of the state in-charges like Muralidhar Reddy, who enjoys the trust of the top duo, PM and Amit Shah.
Santwana Bhattacharya
The author is Resident Editor, Bangalore, TNIE.
Email: santwana@newindianexpress.com