Karnataka verdict has initiated a string of political debates throughout the country. On one hand there are groups supporting the BJP’s decision to form a government in the state whereas on the other hand there is another group which is targeting the same move by calling it horse-trading and indulging in corrupt practices by the ‘Party with a Difference’. These two groups both pro and anti BJP have always existed and will continue to do so. The surprise though has come from a third faction which has emerged quite recently. These are the so called ‘issue based’ supporters of BJP who have suddenly found out that there is something wrong with the BJP’s efforts in forming the government in Karnataka.
As far as horse trading is concerned it is used in politics as a hard bargaining of some kind, a give and take between two parties for which deliberations are held. Ideological compromises are often made by both the parties and the pros and cons are hotly debated before anything finally takes place. It is important to explain what horse trading really encompasses before we begin to explain why the BJP is not wrong in its bid to form a government in Karnataka.
Without going back too much into the past, horse trading in Karnataka was initiated by the Congresss party right on the results day, that is the 15th of May, 2018 . As soon as the result came out, Congress offered the chief ministerial post to JD(S) in order to get into a post-poll alliance with the JD(S). It is important to note that Congress got the second largest number of seats i.e. 78 in Karnataka while JD(S) could not even manage half the number (37). No Congress leader or supporter will ever be ready to accept the offering of the CM seat to H.D. Kumaraswamy but then the Congress did offer this proposal which was a classic case of horse trading – an offer to bring the JD(S) leader on their side, just to stop the BJP from forming a government. During the election campaign JD(S) and Congress leaders were sworn enemies. The Congress even referred the JD(S) the B-team of the BJP. The animosity which exists in the Vokkaliga dominated JD(S) leadership and the Lingayat dominated Congress leadership is yet another reason why JD(S) and Congress do not match.
It is completely normal for a Congress or JD (S) leader to criticize the BJP for trying to form a government in Karnataka but the so called intellectual BJP supporters judging the decision of the BJP forming a government is disappointing. It is difficult to understand what these intellectuals actually want, do they want the BJP to take a step back and stay in opposition or do they really want the party and Karnataka to prosper. Will it be easy for the BJP to convince people 5 years from now that they would provide a stable leadership if they let JD(S)-Congress coalition form a government today. Before judging they should also keep this in mind that the BJP has been bestowed with the status of the single largest party by the Kannadigas.
There is no pride in losing, if the BJP does not go ahead with its decision of forming a government in the state it would have a counter productive effect on the workers and the common people of Karnataka. The intellectuals who have suddenly started criticizing the BJP should understand that the mandate given by the people needs to be respected in Karnataka. The Congress will not stop playing its dirty games, neither today nor tomorrow. If the BJP leaves Karnataka to Siddaramaiah led Congress and Kumaraswamy led JD(S), it will go about spreading mismanagement and chaos in the state.
The BJP is doing what is right for the state and the country. The BJP should not refrain from doing everything necessary to form a government in Karnataka. After all, the Congress lured Kumaraswamy with the CM post and he fell for it going against the public and the party’s opinion, clearly that too comes under horse trading.