Karnataka Congress waiting for Sonia's nod

BANGALORE: With Congress president Sonia Gandhi ruling out early parliamentary polls, the party unit in Karnataka is waiting for a signal whether she favours elections to the state assembly or forming a government with the help of the Janata Dal-Secular (JD-S).

"Party leaders at the central level were busy with the issues arising out of the (India-US) nuclear deal. They will soon be seized of the developments in Karnataka and tell us what needs to be done," Union Minister of State for Planning M.V. Rajashekharan said on Saturday.

Rajashekharan is considered to be the main force behind moves to form a Congress-led government following the collapse of the JD-S-Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) coalition government and resignation of Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy Oct 8.

The BJP withdrew support to Kumaraswamy on Oct 7, as he had not quit his post in favour of it as agreed to in February 2006.

"The party's central leaders have had discussions with state leaders on the situation. Let us wait for the high command's decision," he said.

The Congress in Karnataka is sharply divided over whether to seek the support of the JD-S again to form a government and avoid early polls.

This is because Kumaraswamy brought down the Congress-JD-S coalition government formed in May 2004, accusing the Congress of attempt to destroy his party.

Karnataka was brought under the president's rule on Monday following Kumaraswamy's resignation but the assembly was kept under suspended animation and not dissolved as was widely expected.

This decision has revived hopes among a section of Congress leaders that the party leadership may be in favour of an alternative government and not early polls in the state.

"All secular forces in the state should come together in the interest of the state," Rajashekharan said without referring to the JD-S.

The JD-S too is a divided house.

Kumaraswamy wants to go for polls but a section of the party legislators are against it, as they fear that not honouring the word on power transfer has angered the voters.

He neatly summed up the party's dilemma to reporters Friday when he said, "If we go with the Congress, we will be kicked; if we go with the BJP, we will be kicked. Hence, it is better to go to people and see whether they vote for us or we get kicked by the too."

A section of the JD-S legislators has been meeting at the residence of former home minister M.P. Prakash to explore possibilities of forming a government along with the Congress.

Kumaraswamy has called a formal meeting of his legislators here Oct 15-16 to arrive at a final decision on the issue.

Rajashekkaran, son-in-law of veteran Congress leader and former chief minister S. Nijalingappa, is positioning himself as the chief ministerial candidate to lead the possible Congress-JD-S coalition.

He belongs to the politically powerful Lingayat community, which is upset that BJP's B.S. Yediuyurappa was deprived of the post of chief minister by Kumaraswamy's 'betrayal'. Yediyurappa was deputy chief minister in the JD-S-BJP coalition ministry.

Rajashekharan has had several meetings with Kumaraswamy's father and JD-S president H.D. Deve Gowda, apparently seeking support for his candidature.

He, however, faces strong opposition from within the Congress itself with several leaders making strident calls for early polls and opposing any tie-up with the JD-S again.

The division within the Congress has given ammunition to the BJP to paint it as power-hungry and scared to go to polls.

The BJP is already in the poll mode with its 'Dharm Yuddh' (holy war) rallies since Monday to expose the JD-S 'betrayal'.

In a damage control exercise, state Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge Saturday issued a virtual gag order on his colleagues.

He said that only what the state unit or the central leadership says on forming any alternative government is the official view and none else should comment on it.