BJP-JD(S) alliance tottering in Karnataka

The Janata Dal (Secular)-Bhartiya Janata Party alliance government in Karnataka appears to be on the brink of collapse after JD(S) chief Deve Gowda returned from New Delhi without meeting any of the senior BJP leaders he was to meet to discuss the transfer of power from JD(S) to BJP in Karnataka before October 3.

Gowda returned after Karnataka tourism minister B Sriramulu, who belongs to BJP, accused chief minister D Kumaraswamy, Deve Gowda's elder son, of hiring assassins to kill him. Gowda rushed back to Bangalore in time to hold a press conference to declare that in the face of these allegations it was "increasingly difficult to run an alliance with BJP."

Sources within BJP, however, say that Sriramulu's accusations have more to do with the rivalry between deputy chief minister B Yediurappa, who was to take over as chief minister and former central minister Ananth Kumar. "JD(S) had been reluctant to hand over power to BJP on October 3. They realised that it would not go down well with the people if they flagrantly violated the power sharing agreement. Ananth Kumar's faction in BJP, however, was more reluctant than  JD(S) to see Yediurappa become chief minister," the source said.

Most BJP leaders are not optimistic about the fate of the government. "Earlier, at least we were negotiating, and if JD(S) violated the agreement we would have got all the sympathy votes, but now they have the perfect excuse not to hand over power. So, we will have to take action on the accusations of the minister," said a senior BJP leader.