Bengaluru: At a time when Karnataka appears to be in a state of flux with the Congress-Janata Dal (Secular) government facing a crisis following the resignation of two Congress MLAs Anand Singh and Ramesh Jarkhioli Monday, some of the top leaders of the coalition, including Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy, are conspicuous by their absence from the scene. As the rather fragile alliance lurches towards complete disarray, the leaders are out of the country.
The chief minister, who has been travelling in the United States since 28 June, has taken part in the groundbreaking ceremony for a temple in New Jersey. He is also participating in a three-day convention organised by the Vokkaliga Parishat of America where he is meeting industry leaders.
The resignation of the dissenting Congress leaders, in his absence, forced Kumaraswamy to tweet from the US. He blamed it on the BJP saying the party was attempting to topple his government.
“I’m at the Kalabhairaveshwara temple foundation laying ceremony (in New Jersey). I’m watching TV channels,” he tweeted Monday. “Destabilising the government continues to be a daydream of BJP.”
ಅಮೇರಿಕದ ನ್ಯೂ ಜೆರ್ಸಿಯಲ್ಲಿ ಕಾಲಭೈರವೇಶ್ವರ ದೇವಸ್ಥಾನದ ಭೂಮಿ ಪೂಜೆ ಸ್ವಾಮೀಜಿಗಳ ದಿವ್ಯ ಸಾನ್ನಿಧ್ಯದಲ್ಲಿ ನಡೆದಿದೆ.
ರಾಜ್ಯದ ಎಲ್ಲ ವಿದ್ಯಮಾನಗಳನ್ನು ಇಲ್ಲಿಂದಲೇ ಗಮನಿಸುತ್ತಿದ್ದೇನೆ. ರಾಜ್ಯದಲ್ಲಿ ಸರ್ಕಾರವನ್ನು ಅಸ್ಥಿರಗೊಳಿಸುವ #BJP ಯ ಪ್ರಯತ್ನ 'ನಿರಂತರ ಹಗಲುಗನಸು'— H D Kumaraswamy (@hd_kumaraswamy) July 1, 2019
JD(S) leaders have been quick to defend the CM, saying his US tour was planned six months in advance and that he believes in keeping his commitments while closely monitoring the developments in Karnataka.
“The meetings in the US are also important as Kumaraswamy is talking to investors to come to Karnataka and build their businesses here,” the JD(S) leader Tanvir Ahmed told ThePrint. “The present coalition is a bit shaken up but there is no threat to the government.”
The opposition BJP, meanwhile, used the opportunity to attack the chief minister. State BJP chief B.S. Yeddyurappa accused Kumaraswamy of being on a “jolly trip” to the US while the state is reeling under drought. The CM’s father, Deve Gowda, was however quick to jump to his son’s support stating that he “did not require Yeddyurappa’s permission to travel abroad”.
Also read: 5 reasons why BJP, Congress or JD(S) can’t take Karnataka voters for granted
Congress chief in London, JD(S) president on Assam vacation
The state Congress president Dinesh Gundu Rao is also not in the country, having left for a 10-day vacation with his family to London Tuesday, a day after the two party legislators submitted their resignation.
Amid concerns that several leaders may follow suit, many had raised concern if the Congress is portraying a lethargic attitude or just hoping that the issue would resolve itself.
Senior Congress leader D.K. Shivakumar, however, defended his party president’s trip. “He (Dinesh Gundu Rao) knows very well that the government is safe,” Shivakumar said. “He has a personal life too.”
There is drama within the JD(S) too, with its state unit chief and veteran leader A.H. Vishwanath on a cruise in the Brahmaputra river. He has been holidaying with his friends, keep himself away from the political developments.
Vishwanath had recently tendered his resignation as the party president after blaming his bête noire, Congress leader Siddaramaiah, for excluding him from the coalition’s coordination committee. His resignation has not been accepted yet.
Vishwanath, who was later seen with BJP leaders in Delhi, also sparked off rumours of his exit, though he denied it. “The coalition experiment has failed and people are talking about it,” he said Wednesday. “Both parties are not serious s about the continuation and success of the coalition experiment.”
Senior coalition leaders left to manage crisis
Amid speculation that more Congress MLAs may resign, the onus has fallen on senior Congress leaders Siddarmaiah, D.K. Shivakumar, Dr G. Parameshwara and Deve Gowda of the JD(S) to prevent the situation from imploding.
A senior Congress leader, however, told ThePrint that from the way the political situation was being handled in the state, there was every likelihood that the government would collapse. “Don’t be surprised if 20 more MLAs leave from both sides and this government falls in the next 10 to 15 days,” he warned.
The BJP has been left wondering if the coalition is serious about staving off the threats to it.
“Over the last year, this coalition has been in the ICU. It is a total failure,” said Karnataka BJP spokesperson S. Prakash. “The CM is cooling his heels is the US while the other leaders are also out on a holiday. This only shows how serious they are about saving their government. The KPCC president should have been in Bangalore to manage the crisis, but he chose to travel out, while every day the coalition is fighting for survival.”
Also read: Congress-JD(S) coalition govt will fall before 2019 ends, says Karnataka BJP secy Muralidhar