Countering Deve Gowda: Siddu, loyalists plan Ahinda rallies in Old Mysuru

NT Bengaluru

Amid a challenge thrown by JD(S) supremo and former PM Deve Gowda on 'uprooting' the Congress goverment in Karnataka, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and his aides are planning to blunt the Opposition charge by organising a slew of public meetings in the Old Mysuru region in the first week of December. The conventions will be a rallying cry for ‘Ahinda’ or Alpasankhyataru (minorities) Hindulidavaru (Backward Classes) and Dalits, the support base of the Congress. The meetings will affirm the Grand Old Party’s commitment to the welfare of the Ahinda communities.

The rallies are being planned as a response to JD(S) patriarch HD Devegowda’s recent declaration in Channapatna that he would “uproot” the Congress State government. The former Prime Minister and nonagenarian was uncharacteristically active in a bid to get his grandson Nikhil Kumaraswamy elected as the Channapatna MLA in the November 13 by-poll.

Cong has robust majority: Siddaramaiah was reportedly annoyed by Devegowda’s bold claims because Congress boasts of 134 MLAs while only 113 are required for a majority in the 224-member Assembly. BJP on the other hand is the principal Opposition party with 65 seats and allies JD(S) have 18 MLAs. Moreover, the results of three Assembly by-polls are awaited on November 23. Together the National Democ r a t i c Alliance (NDA) allies account for 81 MLAs and they need 22 more to form the government.

The objective can’t be fulfilled with ethical means and can only be accomplished by way of large scale poaching. The CM recently alleged that their MLAs were being offered Rs 50 crore each to defect to the BJP and contest by-elections for their seats on the saffron party symbols. The same had happened in 2019 when the saffron party poached 17 Congress and JD(S) MLAs in the infamous Operation Kamala. Rebel BJP MLA Basangouda Patil Yatnal had alleged several weeks ago that “a great leader” from his party had gathered Rs 1,000 crore to poach Congress MLAs in an apparent reference to Karnataka BJP president BY Vijayendra.

Responding to Devegowda: Siddaramaiah isn’t taking the threats lightly and sees Devegowda’s declaration as throwing down of the gauntlet. In response, the CM has asked his loyalists to plan Ahinda rallies in districts such as Hassan, Mandya, Ramanagar, Mysuru, Chamarajanagar and others in the Old Mysuru region, which is turf fought for by both Congress and JD(S). The first of these will likely be held in December first week in Hassan city, originally a Devegowda bastion. However, the Hassan Lok Sabha seat was lost to the Congress earlier this year when Shreyas Patel defeated- Devegowda’s grandson Prajwal Revanna.