Gowda

Bangalore/Delhi, Sept. 27: An angry H.D. Deve Gowda today hinted that the transfer of power to the BJP scheduled on October 3 would not be smooth.

The Janata Dal (Secular) chief called off talks with BJP national leaders and returned from Delhi this morning, saying a BJP minister’s murder charge against his son and chief minister H.D. Kumaraswamy was the last straw.

Tourism minister B. Sriramulu had named Kumaraswamy in a police complaint on Tuesday, alleging that he was behind a conspiracy to eliminate him.

“I will not resume talks with the BJP leadership unless they rein in some of their leaders. The situation is not conducive for talks on power transfer. Let them first create a congenial atmosphere,” Gowda said.

“How can I talk of power transfer when my son is facing grave charges of attempt to murder?”

For the past three months, there has been speculation whether the JD (S) would stick to its power-share deal with the BJP as Gowda has been sending out conflicting signals. The two parties, running a coalition government, had agreed that each would get the chief minister’s chair for 20 months.

Kumaraswamy completes his 20 months on October 3. Deputy chief minister B.S. Yediyurappa, the BJP’s candidate for chief minister, has made quiet preparations to take over and announced that he would be sworn in on October 5, an auspicious day.

But Gowda is demanding that the BJP first rein in Sriramulu and a suspended legislator, Janardhan Reddy, who has been levelling charges of corruption against the former Prime Minister’s family for many months now.

“If we hand over power to persons who make allegations against the chief minister, how will they behave later? How can the people of the state get protection against such people?” he asked today.

The state BJP unit has chosen not to react, angering Gowda further. He has now declared he will speak only to BJP chief Rajnath Singh or Atal Bihari Vajpayee.

In Delhi, the BJP leadership is not unduly worried because it believes Gowda does not have many options. Party sources said the JD(S) would have to go for polls if it did not transfer power because the Congress is not willing to prop up an alternative government. Although there are rumours that Kumaraswamy might resign on October 2, BJP leaders believe Gowda is not prepared for elections.

But the party has been cautious not to criticise the JD(S) leadership and there are murmurs about the timing of the complaint against Kumaraswamy, with some smelling sabotage. “It is, after all, not in our favour to heighten the tension,” a party leader said, questioning the motive behind levelling such a serious charge.

The BJP has many chief ministerial aspirants, giving Gowda reason to push for his son’s continuance in the chair. But the party insists it will settle for nothing less than transfer of power and might suggest a committee to discuss the thorny issues.

Senior BJP leader M. Venkaiah Naidu today said “irritants” in the coalition needed to be sorted out. “Yes, there would be a definite transfer of power. There is no doubt about it.”