A second-generation leader of a predominantly regional party, which professes commitment to secularism, decides to ally with the 'communal' BJP. CHECK
The patriarch of the regional outfit, who is a master of Realpolitik and a giant in both state and Central politics, cries betrayal. CHECK
The regional party is unsure of how to deal with and discipline the second-generation leader. CHECK
Readers may be forgiven for thinking that the aforementioned scenario is only a description of the BJP parachuting into power in Maharashtra on Saturday with the help of Ajit Pawar, the nephew of NCP supremo Sharad Pawar.
But the scenario is also a description of an incident that happened in Karnataka 13 years ago, when the Janata Dal (Secular) decided to break its alliance with the Congress and form a government with the BJP.
Like Sharad Pawar, a former chief minister of Maharashtra and veteran Union minister, JD(S) patriarch H.D. Deve Gowda was a former CM of Maharashtra and prime minister briefly. Both Sharad Pawar and Deve Gowda were, and still are, considered experienced practitioners of the art of political compromise.
While distinct, there are some parallels between the JD(S)-BJP alliance in 2006 and Ajit Pawar's tie-up in 2019.
In the 2004 Assembly election in Karnataka, the BJP was the single-largest party, winning 79 seats in the 224-member Assembly. The Congress, which had been in power in the state in the previous term, came second with 65 seats and the JD(S) won 58 seats.
The Congress and JD(S) came together in a uncomfortable alliance for the sake of secularism. The Congress-JD(S) government lasted till January 2006, when H.D. Kumaraswamy, Deve Gowda's son, suddenly made 40 JD(S) MLAs announce they were pulling support for the government, led by late Congress leader Dharam Singh. Kumaraswamy claimed that the Congress had been intent on mid-term polls, which would have seen the JD(S) split into multiple factions.
Kumaraswamy took over as chief minister of a JD(S)-BJP government in a '20:20' power-sharing deal. The agreement was that the JD(S) would hold the chief minister's post for 20 months, followed by the BJP for an equivalent period of time.
Deve Gowda publicly decried the decision and described Kumaraswamy's move to support the BJP as the "saddest day” of his life. Deve Gowda even kept away from Kumaraswamy's swearing-in.
However, critics alleged Deve Gowda secretly orchestrated the tie-up with the BJP and he did not initiate action against Kumaraswamy or H.D. Revanna, another son, who became a minister in the new coalition. Kumaraswamy stepped down in October 2007 after months of disquiet over sharing the chief minister's post with the BJP. After agreeing to support B.S. Yediyurappa, the BJP's chief minister, Kumaraswamy withdrew support to the the coalition, which lasted all of eight days.
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Like the JD(S) in Karnataka in 2006, the NCP is the third-largest party in the Maharashtra Assembly in 2019.
Sharad Pawar announced on Saturday morning that Ajit Pawar's decision to ally with the BJP was his own and was not supported by his party. However, in a press conference, Sharad Pawar was coy when asked about what sort of disciplinary action would be taken by the NCP against Ajit Pawar.
Sharad Pawar had briefly extended outside support to the BJP in 2014 after the saffron party fell short of a majority in the Assembly polls.