BJP shifted line fearing Congress-JDS comeback

Bengaluru: The BJP national leadership, which was considering the option of imposing President’s Rule in Karnataka because of the uncertainty over the disqualification of the rebel MLAs, reportedly changed their strategy late on Thursday night after getting information that the Congress and JD(S) were trying to upstage them by installing a new coalition government with former minister R. Ramalinga Reddy as CM.

Another factor which unnerved them was Speaker K.R. Ramesh Kumar’s decision to disqualify three MLAs — two of the Congress and the KPJP legislator — and with 13 more rebel MLAs facing disqualification proceedings, the party felt the best way to send out a positive signal was to go ahead with the government formation, said sources. The BJP also got wind of KPCC working president Eshwar Khandre trying to woo back the dissidents, sitting in Kalaburagi. “If the Congress and JD(S) had managed to get four or five dissidents back into the coalition fold, it would have spelt danger for the BJP’s plans to form the government. With dissident MLAs facing the pressure of the disqualification petition, reports had done the rounds that the Congress may try to woo them back and even form a government headed by R. Ramalinga Reddy — who reportedly enjoys good ties with the rebels. And if that happened, the possibility of a reverse Operation Lotus could not be ruled out, targeting three or four vulnerable BJP MLAs, which was why the BJP brushed aside all opposition and installed Yediyurappa as CM,” said party sources.

The dissidents also pressed the panic button after the Speaker disqualified three MLAs on Thursday and the BJP felt it should rush to their rescue and reassure them about government formation and their induction as ministers when they were having a difficult time.

Sources did not rule out the possibility of the saffron party trying to install a new Speaker who could “help out” the dissidents in their fight to get their resignations accepted instead of getting disqualified.

Considering these factors, the BJP top brass decided to give the go-ahead to Mr Yeddyurappa to stake his claim, the sources explained.