Delhi
Has Karnataka chapter opened doors for credible non BJP opposition unity nationally?
The triumph of truth in Karnataka has finally and unambiguously brought one thing to the fore and it is, that the three judge bench of the apex court has done great justice to Karnataka cause where the governor has left no stone unturned to ensure that the government with abject minority is installed by hook or by crook giving 15 days time for alleged horse trading etc.
In a democracy, though a single largest party has every right to be called first to form the government but its usually called when there is no other possibility of government formation by any party or group but in Karnataka, it was’nt the case, as the two parties, the Congress and JD(S) had already established the post poll alliance and immediately submitted a letter of consent by all the 116/ 117 legislators duly signed, signalling a clear cut majority.
But even after this, the desperate governor Vaju Bhai Vala had invited BS Yedyurappa, sworn him as CM and given 15 days time to prove the majority.
Sounds shocking as CM was sworn in, in advance without mustering the requisite support thus creating a deliberate constitutional crisis in order to install a government of a party to which he belonged earlier, forgetting that now he is a state constitutional head supposed to be fully impartial, judicious and guided by constitutional norms, principles and ethics.
Today the outgoing CM B. S. Yeddyurappa has been consigned in the history of Karnataka as the lowest serving chief minister for less than three days, having been the CM of Karnataka twice earlier as well, for 11 days and 39 months respectively.
However, now the crisis is over and HD Kumaraswamy of JD(S) would now take the oath as the 24th CM of Karnataka with the support of the Congress party having 78 lawmakers.
Its strange that a CM with 38 lawmakers is going to be the CM of Karnataka but the party with 104 MLAs is out of the race just because the Congress dosen’t want the BJP to be on the power saddle in Karnataka.
This is the greatness and beauty of democracy where collective numbers count not individual maximum numbers.
Anyways, while this high profile political crisis is over now, resulting in a defeat of BJP in an important Southern state despite it being the single largest party, it has on the other hand also opened the doors for a new but incredible chapter of anti BJP opposition unity in the country, encouraging the regional parties to play a vital role in this exercise.
Soon after the resignation of the outgoing CM, not able to muser majority BS Yeddyurappa, the Trinamool Congress chief and chief minister of Bengal Mamta Bannerjee congratulated JD (S) Chief of Karnataka and said that the political victory in the southern state has opened new chapter i the context of the non BJP opposition unity in the country for 2019 and has unambiguously eastablished the fact that if such regional tie ups are strategically designed at state and central levels such unity of the non BJP opposition parties may finally pose an imminent credible danger to the BJP in the 2019 general election.
It may be recalled that the Trinamool Congress chief Mamta Banerjee has been working on the formula of regional tie ups against the BJP at the national level after the victory of the Congress in Alwar n another constituency in Rajasthan parliamentary election followed by the dashing victory of SP candidates with BSP’s support in the UP CM’s home turf in Gorakhpur and the deputy CM’s parliamentary seat in Phoolpur, including the victories of RJD candidates in Bihar bye elections.
Mamta Bannerjee had catagorically stated that wherever the regional forces are active in various states, the national parties like Congress etc should support them and wherever the congress is strong and effective all the non BJP opposition parties should outrightly back the national party to ensure its victory.
Mamta has in this exercise met Sonia and Rahul Gandhi, Delhi CM Arvind Kejrival, Sharad Yadav, the Nationalist Congress chief Sharad Pawar, Mayavati n Akhilesh Yadav and even the bete noire of the Prime minister Narendra Modi, the Shiv Sena leaders.
Though the left parties, particularly the CPM who are facing defeat in Bengal at the hands of the TMC are still not so coperative to this move but sooner or later they will abide to this move of anti BJP unity as the left has no other alternative but to fall in line if they at all are interested to crush the communal forces in 2019.
The biggest hitch however in this whole exercise is : who should be proposed as the prime ministerial candidate in 2019 against Narendra Modi whose increasing charisma is incompatible and unparalleled as far as the incessant winning spree of his party in 21 states of the country is concerned.
While the Nationalist Congress Party has made it crystal clear that Congress Party which is credibly established in all the states of the country right from Kashmir to Kanya Kumari though at present confined to only three states, can’t be reduced to a regional level and as such should be finally considered as the nucleus of the opposition unity, it remains to be seen whether BSP’s Mayawati and TMC chief Mamta Bannerjee who are themselves nursing the ambition to be the prime minister of the country would accept Rahul Gandhi as the prospective non BJP political conglomerate’s Prime ministerial choice. This is moot question.
It’s the badly scattered non BJP opposition in the country that’s giving prime minister Modi and the saffron BJP the chance to prosper and flourish politically say political analysts and if this fragmentation is allowed to continue in future as well, Modi is bound to repeat in 2019 though with a lesser majority. What’s your take friends?