Morality Vs Realpolitik, BJP prefers latter in Karnataka | A. Jayaram

Published on 18-07-2008 In General

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Morality Vs Realpolitik, BJP prefers latter in Karnataka

Within a month and a half of being in office, the BJP Government in Karnataka has indulged in actions which raise serious questions of morality.

The resignation of the three Congress and two Janata Dal (Secular) MLAs from the Assembly to join the BJP has made even the most ardent supporter of the ruling party in the State to ponder over the morality or the immorality of the happenings. But the BJP has reason to pat itself on the back over the strategy adopted. It has caught both the Congress and the JD (S) napping atleast with regard to the former MLAs who have since joined it. It is not that the Congress and the JD (S) were ambushed and were not unaware of the BJP's moves. Some of the Kannada television channels had put out stories about the BJP attempting to win over opposition MLAs much before the Minister K.S.Eshwarappa openly spoke of the inevitability of breaking the Congress and JD (S) legislature parties.

At the outset, let it be explained that the five MLAs have done nothing wrong from the legal angle. They cannot be called defectors in the legal sense at all as they have resigned their Assembly seats before joining the BJP. No doubt in favour of the BJP is the fact that what it has done is not without a precedent .Only in recent years, Congress leader Siddaramaiah resigned his Janata Dal(S) membership of the Assembly to join the Congress. He was reelected from the erstwhile Chamundeshwari seat in Mysore by a narrow margin of 257 votes. But there were weighty reasons as to why he resigned from the JD (S). He had been pushed into a corner by the Deve Gowda clan after having been stripped of the office of deputy chief minister.

Those with knowledge of political history might argue that even Winston Churchill shifted his political loyalties from the Liberal to the Conservative party. But that was outside the House of Commons. The Congress had broken opposition parties and purchased MLAs at will even after the 52nd amendment to the Constitution (anti-defection law) was adopted. It almost broke the BJP legislature party in the 11th State Assembly.

But the five MLAs who have joined the BJP have no defences to put forth. They should have been celebrating their victories especially the three who had been elected for the first time. Obviously they have no reason to rejoice and only have cause to regret having been elected! The reason they are citing for joining the BJP is that they resigned their seats in the interests of development of their constituencies. In the case of the former Congress member from Doddaballapur J.Narasimha Swamy such a stand is untenable as he had been elected for the second time. The question might be raised as to what he did for the constituency in his first term as an MLA. In the case of the film artiste and former Congress MLA from Turuvekere Jaggesh, his theory for resignation sounds ridiculous. He has stated that he resigned as the Congress had sidelined the former chief minister S.M.Krishna and the former minister D.K.Shivakumar. If that was his grievance, he could have remained in the Congress and defended his leaders. He cannot protect the two by joining the BJP. Jaggesh's defence is as whimsical as some of his films are. Balachandra Jarkhiholi was a minister in the Kumaraswamy led "Dosti" government and it is obvious that he did nothing to improve Arabhavi.

The BJP could have avoided the sordid story at least in the case of the former MLA from Karwar Anand Asnotikar (who has since been appointed a Cabinet minister) had it fielded its former MLA Gangadhar Bhat in the recent Assembly elections.

The Party dumped Bhat who had won the 2004 election from there by a comfortable margin of 16,232 votes. The BJP gifted the seat to the Asnotikar family by fielding P.Karwarkar who came a poor third in the recent election.

But the BJP is not without a defence for winning over opposition MLAs. It failed to secure a majority in the elections, having fallen short of the majority mark by three seats. It was forced to depend on the six independents, five of whom are Congress rebels. It is obvious that it has doubts over the loyalties of the six. The five independent ministers and the lone unattached MLA to be left out of the ministry, Varthur Prakash from Kolar tried to act as a pressure group by holding secret meetings. It is common knowledge that except the veteran politician from Pavagada, Venkataramanappa, none of the four other independent ministers can be considered "minister material". The inadequacy of the anti-defection law is there for all to see. It cannot prevent independent MLAs from shifting their loyalties and crossing the floor. It has curbed only the nominated MLAs who can join one party or the other within six months after their nomination and not later. The independents continue to be a law unto themselves.

It is a matter of survival for the BJP. The other option left for it was to cause splits in the Congress or the JD (S) legislature parties. But to bring about the defection (through split) of two-thirds of the MLAs of those parties is a daunting task indeed. It is stated that the BJP tried to play the Lingayat card and found that there were not many Lingayat MLAs in the JD (S) to lend it support. Whether one likes it not, the BJP is now considered to be a party of Lingayats and it was their support that brought it control over the Vidhana Soudha. No doubt the JD(S) is considered a party of Vokkaligas.

It must also be mentioned that the BJP which is faced with the problem of mediocrity in its ministry, has only added to its woes by appointing Anand Asnotikar, Balachandra Jarkhiholi and Shivanagoud Naik as ministers. None of them deserved ministerships. The BJP itself has talent in its ranks. It is hard to defend the appointment of the three by ignoring the claims of BJP veterans like Shankaralinge Gowda, Yogish Bhat, A.Ramdas, A.Narayanaswamy or C.T.Ravi. Though the circumstances forced it to effect defections, the Party could have avoided the rashness of appointing the three as ministers.

The BJP also has before it the responsibility of getting the five new converts reelected as its nominees. The timing of the by-elections is now left to the Election Commission.

Going by the behaviour of the six independents supporting it, the BJP might have to snare some more opposition MLAs. At the same time, it should be on the guard against its own MLAs being bought over by the Congress and the JD (S) who are past masters in the game.

But those discussing moral principles, should appreciate that realpolitik too cannot be ignored. That is what is happening in Karnataka. Even in Mahatma Gandhi's days, the Congress had won over Muslim League leaders in some of the States, be it remembered!

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