New Delhi/Bangalore: Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union home minister Rajnath Singh on Wednesday congratulated the JDS's H.D. Kumaraswamy and the Congress's G. Parameshwara after they were sworn in as chief minister and deputy chief minister of Karnataka although the BJP boycotted the event.
The BJP observed a "black day" and party sources spoke of plans to ensure the Congress-JDS alliance is short-lived.
"I congratulate Shri @hd_kumaraswamy Ji and @DrParameshwara Ji on taking oath as Chief Minister and Deputy Chief Minister of Karnataka. My best wishes for their tenure ahead," Modi tweeted after the oath-taking in Bangalore.
Rajnath, the official No. 2 at the Centre, tweeted: "Congratulations to Shri H D Kumaraswamy and Shri G Parameshwar on taking oath as Chief Minister and Deputy Chief Minister of Karnataka. I hope Karnataka will move forward towards peace, progress and prosperity under the new Govt."
Modi and Rajnath tried to rise above politics even as the swearing-in was viewed with anger and hatred in BJP corridors. "This glory will be short-lived. This alliance will collapse in less than six months," a BJP leader said.
Given the mood in the party, BJP chief Amit Shah refrained from extending the courtesy of congratulating the new government till the filing of this report.
BJP managers predicted a fleeting life for the Congress-JDS alliance and indicated that plans were afoot to bring down the government, not immediately but certainly before the Lok Sabha elections next year.
The BJP believes differences between the Congress and the JDS will surface shortly and it could crystallise when the new government passes the budget in the Assembly.
None of the BJP legislators attended the swearing-in at the Vidhana Soudha. The party held protests across the state against the "unholy alliance".
While there have been instances of individual leaders skipping swearing-in events in Karnataka, such an en masse boycott was unprecedented.
Addressing a protest in Bangalore on Wednesday, BJP leader B.S. Yeddyurappa lampooned the "opportunistic alliance" and foretold its quick downfall. He claimed that Congress leader D.K. Shivakumar was peeved at being ignored for the post. Shivakumar rubbished the claim.
