BJP, JD(S) to fight Congress govt in Karnataka, says B S Yediyurappa

Yediyurappa's statement is being widely interpreted as the first clear sign of a BJP-JD(S) team-up.

Veteran JD(S) leader H D Kumaraswamy (L) and BJP's B S Yediyurappa (R). Credit. PTI File Photos

BJP veteran B S Yediyurappa said on Tuesday that the BJP and JD(S) would fight the Congress government together.

Yediyurappa's statement assumes significance amid speculation that the BJP and JD(S) could enter into an alliance for the Lok Sabha polls next year.

Endorsing former chief minister H D Kumaraswamy’s allegations of corruption against the Congress government, Yediyurappa told reporters that whatever the JD(S) leader is saying is "absolutely" true. "I want to support his statement. Kumaraswamy and we will fight together in the future,” Yediyurappa said, adding that the support of the JD(S) would be sought in the BJP's fight against Congress.

Yediyurappa hailed Kumaraswamy as "a responsible politician" and that his allegations are correct.

Also Read | BJP, JD(S) accuse Congress of corruption in Karnataka

Kumaraswamy has been accusing the Congress government of corruption in transfers. Earlier this week, the JD(S) leader claimed that someone in the chief minister's office (CMO) demanded a bribe of Rs 30 lakh to effect a transfer recommended by one MLA.

Yediyurappa's statement is being widely interpreted within political circles as the first clear articulation that the BJP and JD(S) could team up for the Lok Sabha polls.

Referring to Kumaraswamy's remark that neither he nor his party was invited by the Congress for a meeting of Opposition parties scheduled in Bengaluru, a senior BJP leader told DH that Yediyurappa may have revealed the saffron unit’s bigger plan of allying with smaller outfits in states to either win or retain Lok Sabha seats.

One JD(S) leader told DH that the regional party has demanded at least six seats where it is considered to be strong. “The JD(S) is eyeing Mandya, Hassan, Bangalore Rural, Chikaballapur, Kolar and one more. Both parties feel that by allying with BJP, it would help the JD(S) regain its strength in the Old Mysuru region. If both parties succeed in stitching an alliance, it will help retain 18-20 seats by preventing a split in the anti-Congress voters," the leader said.

This leader also added that with Kurubas emerging as a strong bloc within the OBCs, other communities will regroup in the days to come. This, according to the leader, would help both JD(S) and BJP win more Lok Sabha seats.