What would have happened if the BJP had agreed to all 12 conditions laid down by JD(S) Supremo H D Deve Gowda?

“Even then Gowda wouldn’t have supported the Yeddyurappa Government. The conditions were just a strategy to pull down the BJP-led Government, and it worked,” one of the key JD(S) leaders, who is in the decision-making circle of the party, revealed.

Gowda knew fully well that his November 1 letter to the BJP, laying down 12 conditions, would act as a ‘bomb’ and would be advantageous for him to deny support to Yeddyurappa at the crucial juncture.

 He was aware that many of his conditions were “impractical” and “tough” to implement, and they would force the BJP to reject them, sources said.

According to insiders, Gowda intentionally waited till the trust vote to strike. He first wanted to create a “conducive” atmosphere within the legislature party to implement his gameplan to ditch the BJP.  For almost all MLAs were united in their stand to support Yeddyurappa as CM.

Two camps
For this, besides dispatching the ‘letter-bomb’ to the BJP, Gowda worked on dividing the JD(S)LP into two camps - one loyal to himself and H D Revanna, and another close to Kumaraswamy. Both camps clashed over the issue of ministerial berths at a recent JD(S)LP meet. Those loyal to Revanna gradually started opposing the new government.

So, when Gowda and Kumaraswamy made an issue of the BJP’s cold response to 12 conditions at Monday’s JD(S)LP and issued a whip to vote against the Government, not all MLAs revolted. Only those close to Kumaraswamy were against the whip. “Had the party MLAs been as united as they were a few days ago in forming the Government, Kumaraswamy wouldn’t have issued the whip today, nor would legislators have accepted it,” sources pointed out.