Bengaluru: With days to go before the new BJP chief minister B.S. Yeddyurappa faces a floor test on Monday, the BJP was buoyed by two developments - the Congress' failed mission to bring the three key Siddaramaiah acolytes turned rebels back to the fold, and the Janata Dal (S) supremo HD Deve Gowda publicly saying that his party will not back the BJP even as a senior member of the party said the rank and file wanted to extend outside support to the BJP.
The remarks by former minister G T Deve Gowda on JD(S) MLAs' echoing remarks by a section of JD(S) legislators asking former Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy to extend outside support to the BJP government headed by Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa set off another storm, with many within the JD(S) reportedly even favouring a no-show at the trust vote to ensure that they do not have to vote against the motion, allowing the B.S. Yeddyurappa a smooth and uncontested win.
Former Prime Minister and JDS supremo H D Deve Gowda was however quick to squash any speculation of outside or inside support, by saying on Saturday that he ruled out any support to the BJP government headed by Yediyurappa, saying his party would play the role of a "constructive" opposition.
Mr. Kumaraswamy too rubbished the reports about JD(S) extending support to BJP. He tweeted, "I have gone through the baseless report about (JDS) developing relationship with BJP. Our party MLAs and workers should not give ear to such rumours. We will build the party by serving the people. Our pro-people struggle is continuous."
After a meeting of JDS MLAs on Friday, party senior leader G T Devegowda had said "Some have suggested that we should sit in opposition, while some legislators are of the opinion that we should support the BJP from outside." "We are going to play a constructive role. As a regional party we will oppose where we have to oppose. That's all. If you (Yediyurappa) do something good for the state, we will welcome it," Deve Gowda told reporters here.
The JDS patriarch said, "There is no big deal in saying so (support to BJP). His (G T Devegowda's) intention was that the finance bill was passed (before July 31) because it was a budget presented by Kumaraswamy."
Gowda explained that all G T Devegowda intended to say that the JD(S) would not oppose every move of BJP just for the heck of it.
"The pain of losing power within 14 months instead of 60 months (five years) is evident among Congress and the JD(S) leaders. Mr G T Deve Gowda had conveyed the feelings of lawmakers and there was no need to make it a big issue. Even the Congress Party was equally sad as the coalition government collapsed within just 14 months. The former minister had right to express his opinion," Mr Deve Gowda said.
Meanwhile, Congress leader Siddaramaiah who claimed that two rebel MLAs had called him regarding their disqualification but he refused to accept their calls, continued to charge the BJP with confining "our MLAs illegally by luring them and now they (BJP) are saying it is the victory of people. No, it is not the victory of people. It is the victory of horse-trading."
