Who’s the boss in JD(S), Gowda or HD Kumaraswamy?

Bengaluru: Caught in the family crossfire, JD(S) MLAs have now decided to maintain ‘equi-distance’ from both their leaders - party national president Mr H.D. Deve Gowda and state president Mr H.D. Kumaraswamy.

The development in which Mr Gowda was forced to pull back from the proposed alliance with Congress during forthcoming elections to the Legislative Council because of Mr Kumaraswamy’s opposition, has not only embarrassed MLAs like Mr Zameer Ahamed Khan, Mr N Cheluvarayaswamy, Mr Akhanda Srinivas Murthy, Mr Gopalaiah and others, but has also sounded warning bells among other MLAs also.

Mr Zameer and Mr Cheluvarayaswamy had proceeded with the negotiations after a direction from Mr Deve Gowda, who said no to the talks after a meeting with Mr Kumaraswamy. Mr Kumaraswamy had gone on to term his one time loyalist as a ‘Congress agent’ too.

“Things have settled down... Mr Kumaraswamy’s statement was distorted by the media and he has cleared the doubts to Mr Cheluvarayaswamy. There is no difference among leaders. Earlier, there was confusion due to a communication gap between Mr Gowda and Mr Kumaraswamy. Now, it has been sorted out,” a party leader said, trying to brush the differences under the carpet. However, party sources say that the incident had widened the gap within the party. “The party is run by family members and those who oppose them have no place here. But, family members have to sort out their differences before giving directions to party legislators. If senior leaders like Mr Zameer and Cheluvarayaswamy face such an embarrassment, where do others stand? We have to be more cautious and the best way is to maintain a distance from both leaders. We have to concentrate more on our constituencies,” said a first-time MLA of the party.

Mr Kumaraswamy, who toned down his comments on Saturday, is said to have sent a message saying that he was misinterpreted by the media. However, this has not gone well with the former minister, who was already staying away from Mr Kumaraswamy.

Sources said that the Congress would have benefited in three to four seats if an alliance had been struck. But, no one is sure how the JD(S) would have fared.

While JD(S) can retain Mandya and Hassan, it has to win two more seats in Tumakuru and Mysuru. Besides, Kolar and Chikkaballapura are seats where the JD(S) is expected to put up a big fight. The Congress would have benefited in Chikkamagaluru and Shivamogga constituencies, sources added.