BENGALURU: Top JDS leaders, including HD Kumaraswamy, have been calling Muslim leaders for the past few days urging them not to leave the party in the wake of its alliance with the BJP. Many Muslim leaders in the JDS confirmed that they received calls from ‘HDK Sir’.
Prominent among them are former minister MM Nabi, senior party leader Naseer Hussain Ustad and former special representative of the State Government to the Centre Mohid Althaf. “I received calls from Kumaraswamy. But I did not change my mind. I had handed over two resignation letters -- one to the state and another to the national leadership. What is of concern is that the saffron party can use JDS’ support to unleash its brand of hate politics against the minorities in Karnataka if the alliance comes to power. I don’t want to be a party to that,” former JDS vice-president Syed Shafiullah Saheb said.
It is believed that such responses from Muslim leaders made JDS supremo HD Deve Gowda to assure them of safety on Wednesday when he said, “Let us form government with any party. But in my State of Karnataka protection to minorities is assured.’’
Moreover, speculations were rife that Muslim leaders at all levels in the party were ready to quit JDS en masse. The reason for the nervousness in JDS is understandable.
Janata Dal enjoyed the support of Muslims when it swept to power in Karnataka in 1994. This was because of the situation post-Babri demolition and raids against a prominent Islamic seminary in the early 90s. Muslims in Karnataka decided to rally with Janata Dal which won 16 parliamentary seats and 115 assembly seats. CM Ibrahim then became the party president and later held portfolios of Civil Aviation and Tourism and Information and Broadcasting in the Deve Gowda and Gujral governments, formed respectively in 1996 and 1997, at the Centre.
JDS MLAs Sharangouda Kandakur (Gurmitkal) and Karemma Gopalakrishna (Devadurga) have opposed the party’s alliance with BJP. Kandakur suggested that the JDS leadership call all leaders, who are unhappy with the alliance, and convince them to be with the party.
According to political analysts, the Congress and BJP are the arch-rivals of JDS. With this being the situation, how could JDS have a tie-up with its enemy? It may not be a smooth alliance, for BJP and JDS have many issues to tackle.
In the last Assembly elections, JDS gave tickets to 23 Muslims, but none won. Muslim voters have a say in more than 30 Assembly constituencies in the State.
Top JDS leaders are now worried that if Muslims desert the party, it will be reduced to a party of Vokkaligas.