Karnataka politicians may appear to be at loggerheads in public, but most share warm ties in private. Even when they are politically divided, they enjoy common business interests and familial ties. This ‘adjustment politics’, as it is referred to, has recently come under stress. In the recent past, the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-Janata Dal (Secular) and the ruling Congress have been at each other’s throats like never before. It is not that realisation has suddenly dawned; they have been prodded into action by their respective central leaderships. The BJP, whose performance as the principal opposition party was lacklustre, has suddenly become belligerent, demanding Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s scalp over the MUDA and Valmiki ‘scams’. The Congress, normally lethargic in defending itself, is hitting back with equal, if not more aggression. The strong pushback came after their leader Rahul Gandhi and two general secretaries pulled up Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar for their passive response. The Congress government has now decided to embarrass the BJP by speeding up cases against its leaders. In a way, this is a good thing, because it may help expose corrupt deals on both sides. The cosy relationship seen until recently between the treasury benches and the Opposition is beautifully captured in a Kannada proverb, which, loosely translated, says, ‘You pretend to die and I pretend to cry’.
