Tax-free entertainment in Karnataka

As we say in Kannada, Dushtan kandre doora iru (keep away from the bad guys). But think, what happens when you leave politics - the most important job of governing the country - to the bad guys?

Politics in Karnataka has hit a new low with the latest developments surrounding the fall of the BJP government, thanks to the flip-flop attitude of its alliance partner, the JD(S). The common man feels that the former PM Deve Gowda's antics have gone too far and all this tamasha could very well have been avoided.

As is known in the public domain, Sri Deve Gowda as the national president of the JD(S) in his earlier letter to the Karnataka Governor made it amply clear that his party was withdrawing support to the BJP and was in favour of a dissolution of the State assembly. A week later, he dashed off another letter to the Governor stating that the JD(S) was willing to extend support to a BJP-led government with BS Yeddyurappa as Chief Minister.

At the same time, the party was sending feelers to the Congress through its senior leader MP Prakash. According to reports, MP Prakash it was said, was acting on his own, and certainly not at the behest of Sri Deve Gowda. But later events reveal that all this may have been part of a grand strategy to woo both the parties so that the JD(S) may end up in a win-win situation.

When the Governor recommended for President's Rule, as a consequence of Sri Gowda's letter, the JD(S) took a U-turn and paraded its MLAs before the Karnataka Governor and also in Rashtrapati Bhavan, along with their counterparts in the BJP, with Yeddyurappa and HK Kumaraswamy leading the delegation to the President.

The BJP got another shot at forming a government with JD(S), but Deve Gowda kept up the pressure from the moment his party committed to support the BJP government. First, he promised unconditional support to the BJP, and immediately thereafter shot off a letter containing 12 conditions, which the BJP refused to accept. The events turned to a head with the JD(S) withdrawing support and Yeddyurappa, within seven days of being sworn in CM, was forced to quit.

Despite the best spin doctors in the world, it would be next to impossible to justify Sri Deve Gowda's flip-flops. The JD(S) will indeed find it hard to shrug off the betrayer tag, after double double cross of the BJP. The Congress too may not benefit much from this impasse, as it kept its option of flirting with the JD(S) till the last minute. The BJP, with its image of a victim is well placed to milk the sympathy factor to its fullest advantage.

The elections could be held at the earliest in March, or June-July, at worst. Its opponents are hoping that public memory will be short and whatever sympathy there is for the BJP will wane. All in all, interesting days are ahead, and one thing we can be sure of, the entire country will be on watch to know who prevails in Karnataka.