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– Sudhanshu

Now it is quite clear. No hope left for the non-Congress-non-BJP men and women in Karnataka. Of course, they started losing hopes when a big chunk of JD(S) MLAs forged an alliance with the BJP to replace the Congress-JD(S) coalition. Former Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda, national president of the JD(S), often updated his political ideology as ‘secular’ – a status to attract ‘likes’ from some parties at the national level.

Whenever the senior Gowda did his best to paint his party green, his son H.D.Kumaraswamy replaces it with a thick layer of saffron. Despite being the head of the Janata Dal (Secular), HDK once surprised many admitting that he had so far not found meaning of the word – secular. No person in Indian history would have become Chief Minister without understanding meaning that his party stands for.

Kumaraswamy repeated his ‘secular’ statement in the recently concluded Legislature session. He said the words like ‘secular’ were coined by parties for their political benefits. He did not stop there. He told the House that former CM B.S. Yeddyurappa would not have lost his seat had he ‘adjusted’ with him a little. In other words Kumaraswamy would ignore any corruption or loot of public money if the offender ‘adjusts’ with him a little. And, that man holds the post of Leader of Opposition. He would probably, going by his own words, ignore all misdeeds of the Congress government if people in power ‘adjust’ with him.

While the father continues to bat for ‘secular’ tag for his party, his son is ready for an alliance with the BJP. He held talks with prominent BJP leaders not to field their candidates in the Lok Sabha by-polls. The equally shameless BJP, who had tasted JD(S)’ so called ‘Vachana Droha’ (breach of promise), are ready for an ‘understanding’. A national party aiming to rule the country in 2014 has no candidates to field in the by-polls to Lok Sabha. That too in a state, where the party ruled till recently, and sent 19 MPs to Lok Sabha in the last 2009 elections.

The state’s principal opposition party is led by an ideologically bankrupt and intellectually challenged person. He has no respect for intellectuals either. During the budget session, he hit the headlines by making scathing remarks regarding the incumbent CM’s past, rather than the budget document. He has continued his earlier practice of ‘blackmailing’. Many times he had threatened leaders of opposite parties to ‘expose’ them in open. But, seldom he came out with the explosive expose. The credit of exposing BSY should go to one ‘AK’ and a section of media, not HDK. Had the AK not delivered important documents to select media houses, BSY’s misdeeds would not have come out.

Whenever there was a story in leading publications, he would hold a press conference so that other publications also carry forward the issue. Even a couple of days ago during a heated exchange of words with Siddaramaiah in the Legislative Assembly, he warned Home Minister K.J. George that he would bring out ‘truths’ about him, when the latter came in support of the CM. Where is the need to threaten someone of exposing them, if he is genuinely interested in ‘exposing’ something illegal? Should such threats be read as invitation for ‘adjustment’ from now on?

Keeping this state of the party and its leadership as background, if one predicts the future of the JD(S), the result is disappointing. The party which took shape under the principles of socialism is going to be a family’s fiefdom or in the best case, a party restricted to the region dominated by a particular caste. The present leaders of the party are showing no signs of improving its status. The sad thing is, ultimately people of the state will suffer with the absence of an able, efficient Opposition to the ruling party. If the watch dogs sleep always or wag their tails to attract ‘adjustments’ with those in the ruling, the state has every chance to go to dogs.