DKS case: BJP worried over ‘anti-Vokkaliga’ label

As the arrest of Congress leader D K Shivakumar attracted national attention, the BJP camp is now worried over the political fallout it may have to face. The immediate concern of the party was that the Congress and the JD(S) may use it as a tool to consolidate the Vokkaliga community.

According to sources, Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa is wary of this, which is why he displayed a softer stance than many of his counterparts regarding the former minister’s arrest by the Enforcement Directorate.

The saffron party is now worried of attempts by the Opposition to generate a narrative that the BJP was anti-Vokkaliga, which would jeopardise BJP’s hopes to make inroads in the Old Mysore region, say some pundits. Others believe that the arrest of Shivakumar would be of little consequence to BJP as it has already done what it had to do for the Vokkaliga vote.

Leaders in BJP, who are divided on whether the arrest would hit the party’s prospects among the community members, say that at least the JD(S) would use this issue to paint the BJP as an ‘anti-Vokkaliga’ party. Even though there are Vokkaliga leaders in BJP, Shivakumar has cultivated an image paralleling even prominent JD(S) leaders - considered to be a party of Vokkaligas. “DKS’ efforts to save the coalition government by travelling to Mumbai only bolstered this image,” a source said.

Political scientist Harish Ramaswamy differed from the notion that Shivakumar’s arrest would hurt BJP. “Plans to depict the episode as anti-Vokkaliga just won’t work,” he said, adding that BJP has already done what they had to secure Vokkaliga votes by appointing Dr C N Ashwath Narayan as DyCM.

“The reason for Yediyurappa’s sympathetic statements was to show that they are not anti-anybody,” Harish said. Even disqualified MLA Byrathi Basavaraj’s direction to corporators from his constituency to protest in favour of Shivakumar depicts the same, he added.

Notably, despite differences, Shivakumar and Yediyurappa are co-petitioners in the Benniganahalli de-notification case, which is currently being heard by the Supreme Court.

A JD(S) spokesperson said the arrest will be a major issue at least during the upcoming bypolls. “Anti-Vokkaliga image was disastrous for Siddaramaiah and Congress, due to which the JD(S) gained significantly in the previous Assembly elections,” he pointed out.

The recent developments are an add-on to the allegations that the BJP was responsible for the collapse of a government led by Vokkaliga leader
H D Kumaraswamy, the spokesperson added.