Political and non-political circles here are making much of the remark of Prime Minister Narendra Modi that Congress president Rahul Gandhi has “insulted” former Prime Minister and Janata Dal (Secular) founder, H D Deve Gowda, by calling his party “B team” of the Bharatiya Janata Party.
These circles are trying to read much in between the lines as Modi, generally, does not make a statement like this on such occasions without pre-meditation. He must have weighed it properly before making it public.
Much significance is also being attached because it was not a one-liner. He said a few things more and described the way he used to receive him and see off.
The matter was not given a burial because the very next day Deve Gowda reacted positively to most part of his story. The former PM did say that Modi was a “clever” politician and that he had not done much for Karnataka but this part of his statement was rather ignored.
Most of the local newspapers, too, have highlighted his positive reaction. Deve Gowda also paid a “compliment” to the Prime Minister, said one. They have also covered in detail his prediction about the BJP before the Lok Sabha elections and Modi’s meeting with him to persuade him not to resign.
All this is being seen in the light of Modi’s first meeting in the last leg of campaigning in Chamarajanagar district in South Karnataka where Congress had won many seats. Old Mysuru area is a part of the southern region and JDS was a runner-up in the belt.
The JDS, according to a party leader, had won 24 seats in the region out of the total 40 in state Assembly in 2013. If it improves its tally in the region, much damage may be caused to the ruling party. The BJP was no major force in the belt.
Some political pundits believe that one way of keeping the Congress away from winning a majority is to encourage the JDS in the areas where the party is strong. There is no evidence, but there are people who also talked of a tacit understanding between the JDS and the BJP.
Modi’s praise of Deve Gowda and his “return gift” is largely behind speculations of this kind. Some BJP men, however, have nothing against this kind of strategy. “In an election, winning matters and nothing else. Any understanding with any other party to defeat the main rival is fair in electoral politics”, said one of them.
Modi’s and Deve Gowda’s comments are being seen in another prospective. In case of a hung Assembly, such elements see a possibility of the two coming together. “The JDS does not like Siddaramaiah because he had left the party and joined Congress bandwagon. So, it is unlikely to go with him”. Some body other than him may be liked by the party but he has to face the ire of Siddaramaiah who has a majority support.
The BJP is not well placed in this Vokkaligas -dominated region. To make a major inroad into this belt will not be easy for the party. The inchage of four districts in the region, C R Patil, however, hopes to move into double digit from zero.
Patil, an MP from Gujarat, has been asked to look after Hassan, Chamarajanagar, Mysuru and Mandya districts, where the party was relatively weaker. He is a close confidante of party president Amit Shah and Modi.
It is not yet clear what his hope is based on. But it has provided grist to the rumour mill.
Hindusthan Samachar/ R. Narayan/ Shri Ram Shaw
