Surveying the wreckage of the collapsed JD(S)-BJP coalition government in Karnataka, people must be cursing Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy and Janata Dal (Secular) supremo H D Deve Gowda for the present political turmoil. But the protagonist of this costly mockery of democracy is the BJP leadership, which failed to go for the kill.

The BJP adopted a strategy of caution - of wounding but not striking - perhaps afraid of risking the chance of inheriting the power to govern.

Though the BJP was the single largest party in the Assembly, it became a victim of its own spin. It failed to consolidate its position in the coalition with dignity and commitment. Naturally, it could not suddenly seek to transform into a gambler at the hour of power transfer.

When ‘prodigal son’ Kumaraswamy aligned with BJP in February 2006, ostensibly to pre-empt coalition partner Congress from hijacking JD(S) MLAs, father Deve Gowda disowned both son and the truck with BJP. Gowda got Kumaraswamy and his 39 MLAs suspended from the party. Later, Gowda forgave his ‘saviour’ son, praised his style and intervened in policy. There was no offer of an olive branch to the BJP. Gowda only attacked BJP, accusing it of violating coalition ‘dharma’, describing Yediyurappa a misfit for chief ministership. BJP saw nothing amiss in the attacks.

After forming the government with BJP support, Kumaraswamy breached protocol and basic courtesy by not calling on BJP’s senior leaders. Even when Deputy Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa fixed an appointment with the BJP high command, Kumaraswamy skipped the engagement on the pretext of ill-health. The first formal meeting between the CM and BJP leaders came only after BJP MLC G Janardhana Reddy levelled mining bribery charges against Kumaraswamy. BJP did not feel slighted.

In the various elections in 20 months - Chamundeshwari Assembly by-poll, election of President of India and the recent urban local body polls, Deve Gowda announced his ‘equi-distance’ from BJP and Congress. His constant refrain that the tie-up with BJP was restricted to the coalition government and did not extend to JD(S) party, neither embarrassed nor made BJP suspicious.

As the head of the Co-ordination Committee set up to facilitate the coalition, Kumaraswamy rarely convened meetings. Even when he did, he skipped them, including a very crucial one. BJP took no umbrance.

Again, when Prime Minister Manmohan Singh visited Bangalore for a joint review of development programmes, the DyCM was not invited. Neither Yediyurappa nor the BJP voiced any protest. After Kumaraswamy’s innings in the Twenty20 power sharing match, Gowda called off the play. The so called ‘gentlemen’s agreement’ stopped short of gentleman Yediyurappa. Gowda renewed his pre-spun alienation of BJP and only then did its leaders see red.