Since July, Karnataka CM B.S. Yediyurappa has not been able to meet PM Modi & Home Minister Amit Shah to discuss cabinet expansion, indicating a rocky relationship between them.
Congress took a jibe at the BJP by referring to 'Operation Kamala' from 2008 when it attempted to "poach-all" MLAs to stake claim to form the government in Karnataka.
Political analysts fear Congress, JD(S) MLAs who felt left out could be poached by BJP that is waiting to repeat an episode along the lines of ‘Operation Kamala’.
The BJP has won 104 seats and still needs eight more MLAs to cross the halfway mark. There are various scenarios being discussed on how this will play out.
Congress & JD(S) fear BJP will repeat its successful 2008 'Operation Kamala' as it ropes in mining baron G. Janardhan Reddy to help form the government by trying to circumvent the anti-defection law.
Canada faces serious foreign interference issues, but these challenges must not be weaponized to unfairly target friendly and important allies like India.
In Episode 1544 of CutTheClutter, Editor-in-Chief Shekhar Gupta looks at some top economists pointing to the pitfalls of ‘currency nationalism’ with data from 1991 to 2004.
Among 19 Indian firms sanctioned by US Treasury Dept was Lokesh Machines Ltd accused of coordinating with 'Russian defence procurement agent to import Italy-origin CNC machines'.
While we talk much about our military, we don’t put our national wallet where our mouth is. Nobody is saying we should double our defence spending, but current declining trend must be reversed.
The writer consciously avoids a mention of the elephant in the room – the unprecedentedly gigantic scale of loot of public wealth by the Modi govt to fund their equally gigantic scale of election campaigning, media management, engineering defections, arranging communal riots, etc
I thought you were a media outlet with a difference but you all leftist media have an agenda. Atal bihari said that statement that he won’t make government by defection but here the MLA’s are defecting before election, both the situations are different. I like the way you conniving people change the meaning of the same statement siuted best for your agenda.
Mr Subhasis Ghosh: You seem to forget that with very few exceptions, the vast majority of Indian politicians join political parties to make a quick buck. A political party is like any corporate trying to maximise profits and nothing more. Today, these monkeys will jump to the BJP because it is in power, tomorrow they might jump to Sasikala’s party if she comes to power. You jump from party to party just as you change jobs. And indeed, why not ? After all, parties have no real ideology per se and behave like rent seeking firms.
BJP by taking in detectors are in the process of cutting down their base and convert them to BJP and then director will be left with no support base. Even Ms Gandhi used to cut down of leaders by luring with RS seat or post and would cut their base. I remember one Congress MP from Mahabubnagar was requested to vacate his seat for her which he declined and contested with support of all opposition parties. She managed to get another MP from Medak and she contested and won, also got the MP to win Mahabubnagar seat. It was then end of political career for MP from Mahabubnagar
BJP is willing to be blackmailed by opportunistic defectors who don’t subscribe to BJP’s ideology. At anytime, they can bring down the government. Defectors will always remain a sub-group within the BJP, driven by commonality of interests. As we see in Karnataka, the CM is their puppet. There is raging discontent amongst the “natives” in Karnataka BJP. Can BJP ever bring change in the Center and the States with the support of such fly-by-night polticians?
Mr Gururaj: Like many other commenters here, you too tend to forget that people join political parties to get a shot at making a quick buck, ideology an the welfare of the citizenry be damned. In fact, most political parties in India have no ideology per se and are weathervanes pandering to caste or communal forces.
When in power, a party would support policy X but when out of power, the same party would oppose policy X. The BJP was against Aaadhar when it was in opposition and was for it when it came to power; the BJP wanted statehood for Delhi whilst in opposition but is against Delhi statehood now that it is in power. Even one of the fundamental tenets of the BJP viz. opposition to beef consumption varies from state to state as it modifies ideology for the simple purpose of staying in power. And I am willing to bet that should the BJP lose power either at the Centre or in some state legislature, the very same BJP politician will jump ship and join whichever party comes to power. After all, you join politics to earn money. Why else would you invest large sums of money to fight elections unless you want to be sure to get your initial investment multiplied manfold as a return?
Take the case of former Haryana CM Bhajan Lal. In 1980, he won the state on a Janata party ticket. But when this worthy realised that the Congress party under Ms Indira Gandhi had been elected to power at the Centre, the wily Bhajan Lal converted his entire Janata party MLAs to Congress ! And that approach to opportunistic jumping of ships is the very lifeblood of an Indian politician, regardless of ideology.
About time people like you realised that the BJP politician is no saviour – his saffron camouflage notwithstanding.
BJP should use these turncoats only as tactic and not as a strategy. These people are coming to BJP, not because of any love for its ideology but because of their lust for power. It is also possible, as Himanta Biswal Sharma has openly said, that his erstwhile party Congress was beyond redemption in its current structure. But these people may not be there to fight back when BJP will start slipping, as may will over time. At that point of time, only committed cadres will help.
The writer consciously avoids a mention of the elephant in the room – the unprecedentedly gigantic scale of loot of public wealth by the Modi govt to fund their equally gigantic scale of election campaigning, media management, engineering defections, arranging communal riots, etc
I thought you were a media outlet with a difference but you all leftist media have an agenda. Atal bihari said that statement that he won’t make government by defection but here the MLA’s are defecting before election, both the situations are different. I like the way you conniving people change the meaning of the same statement siuted best for your agenda.
Mr Subhasis Ghosh: You seem to forget that with very few exceptions, the vast majority of Indian politicians join political parties to make a quick buck. A political party is like any corporate trying to maximise profits and nothing more. Today, these monkeys will jump to the BJP because it is in power, tomorrow they might jump to Sasikala’s party if she comes to power. You jump from party to party just as you change jobs. And indeed, why not ? After all, parties have no real ideology per se and behave like rent seeking firms.
As the old adage goes:
“Aaya Ram, Gaya Ram”.
BJP by taking in detectors are in the process of cutting down their base and convert them to BJP and then director will be left with no support base. Even Ms Gandhi used to cut down of leaders by luring with RS seat or post and would cut their base. I remember one Congress MP from Mahabubnagar was requested to vacate his seat for her which he declined and contested with support of all opposition parties. She managed to get another MP from Medak and she contested and won, also got the MP to win Mahabubnagar seat. It was then end of political career for MP from Mahabubnagar
When bjp is not strong in a state it must embrace the defectors to expand its base.but they must trust the long tested leaders.
Power for power’s sake. Beyond that, a void.
BJP is willing to be blackmailed by opportunistic defectors who don’t subscribe to BJP’s ideology. At anytime, they can bring down the government. Defectors will always remain a sub-group within the BJP, driven by commonality of interests. As we see in Karnataka, the CM is their puppet. There is raging discontent amongst the “natives” in Karnataka BJP. Can BJP ever bring change in the Center and the States with the support of such fly-by-night polticians?
Mr Gururaj: Like many other commenters here, you too tend to forget that people join political parties to get a shot at making a quick buck, ideology an the welfare of the citizenry be damned. In fact, most political parties in India have no ideology per se and are weathervanes pandering to caste or communal forces.
When in power, a party would support policy X but when out of power, the same party would oppose policy X. The BJP was against Aaadhar when it was in opposition and was for it when it came to power; the BJP wanted statehood for Delhi whilst in opposition but is against Delhi statehood now that it is in power. Even one of the fundamental tenets of the BJP viz. opposition to beef consumption varies from state to state as it modifies ideology for the simple purpose of staying in power. And I am willing to bet that should the BJP lose power either at the Centre or in some state legislature, the very same BJP politician will jump ship and join whichever party comes to power. After all, you join politics to earn money. Why else would you invest large sums of money to fight elections unless you want to be sure to get your initial investment multiplied manfold as a return?
Take the case of former Haryana CM Bhajan Lal. In 1980, he won the state on a Janata party ticket. But when this worthy realised that the Congress party under Ms Indira Gandhi had been elected to power at the Centre, the wily Bhajan Lal converted his entire Janata party MLAs to Congress ! And that approach to opportunistic jumping of ships is the very lifeblood of an Indian politician, regardless of ideology.
About time people like you realised that the BJP politician is no saviour – his saffron camouflage notwithstanding.
BJP should use these turncoats only as tactic and not as a strategy. These people are coming to BJP, not because of any love for its ideology but because of their lust for power. It is also possible, as Himanta Biswal Sharma has openly said, that his erstwhile party Congress was beyond redemption in its current structure. But these people may not be there to fight back when BJP will start slipping, as may will over time. At that point of time, only committed cadres will help.
The so called Committed cadre are fools in political structure, they are remembered only during election time..