A lull before the storm?

Sources say that JD(S) chief H D Deve Gowda is in talks with his former rivals, the Reddys, to bring down the Yeddyurappa government

Sources say that JD(S) chief H D Deve Gowda is in talks with his former rivals, the Reddys, to bring down the Yeddyurappa government
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JD(S) Chief H D Deve Gowda seems to be gathering forces to topple the Yeddyurappa government, and has reportedly no qualms in talking to Reddys, bitter rivals with his son and former chief minister H D Kumaraswamy.

A reliable source in the JD(S) revealed the patriarch spoke to Tourism Minister Janadana Reddy, who is spearheading the dissidence in the BJP, and sympathised with him.


Deve Gowda met Siddaramaiah, when the latter led a day-and-night sit-in at the assembly, demanding a CBI probe against illegal mining last July.

He is understood to have said that shudras (farming community including Vokkaliga and Reddy) and backward community must put up united efforts to uproot the government, in order to forward the Lingayat community.

Calling back the leaders who had defected to BJP from Congress and JD(S), to their respective parties, while taking the disgruntled BJP MLAs into their fold, and get prepared to face a mid-term poll jointly seems to be the game plan, say sources.

"They are looking for pulling out at least 25 MLAs from the BJP so that they can bring the government down," said the source. "Though it looks like a difficult task, but the effort is on."

As if to endorse the idea, Kumaraswamy, who had not kept his meeting with Siddaramaiah, leader of Opposition in the assembly, at Congress leader C M Ibrahim's residence last week, publicly admitted the meeting had the blessings of Deve Gowda.

The meeting had come as a bit surprise because Siddaramaiah had stopped seeing eye to eye with Deve Gowda and his sons after they treated him shabbily, which led him to join the Congress in 2006, with the exception that Deve Gowda met Siddaramaiah, when the latter led a day-and-night sit-in at the assembly, demanding a CBI probe against illegal mining last July.

Although there is an enthusiastic response from different corners of the BJP, Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi is reportedly not favouring the idea. He is understood to have said that going along with JD(S) was not in the interest of the Congress.

"We are not getting an expected response from the Congress high command, and their position is understandable," said a senior leader in the JD(S).
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"However, Deve Gowda is hoping to convince them and we are expecting some important meetings in the near future."

In retort, Yeddyurappa has started his counter move and he is consolidating the support of fellow Lingayat leaders in Congress and JD(S).

Sources say that he is planning to hold Lingayat rallies in the districts and in that pretext he has already met several times.