The Chief Minister H. D. Kumaraswamy's remarks calling BJP as communal and appointment of a KPSC member snatching away the BJP quota, created crisis impacting on the unity of JD (S) - BJP coalition with all the BJP Ministers boycotting the Cabinet meeting on 23rd of August morning for nearly 90 minutes. While the BJP led by Deputy Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa had threatened to withdraw from the Government, the Chief Minister retorted saying “he would not care for hollow threats”. Though the Chief Minister arrived at the Cabinet Hall sharp at 9 am, he saw only JD (S) Ministers but not a single BJP Minister.

The scene at the residence of Science and Technology Minister Ramachandre Gowda (BJP) beside the residence of the Deputy Chief Minister B. S. Yediyurappa was different. All the BJP Ministers including Deputy Chief Minister B. S. Yediyurappa had begun a meeting early in the morning at Ramachandre Gowda's house. The agitated Ministers decided to boycott the Cabinet meeting unless the Chief Minister withdrew his anti - BJP comments and cancelled the appointment of G. T. Chandreshekharappa as KPSC member without consulting BJP though the post belonged to BJP quota. The meeting decided to withdraw from the coalition if these two conditions were not fulfilled. They also contacted party High Command leaders at Delhi and sought their permission to withdraw from the Government, according to BJP sources.

CM's condition:
In the meanwhile, the Chief Minister asked his Secretary Rakesh Singh to contact the Deputy Chief Minister after waiting for nearly an hour. Yediyurappa reportedly told Singh about the decision of BJP Ministers. The Chief Minister sent the message through his Secretary that the BJP Ministers should come to Vidhana Soudha where he could give clarifications. After lot of persuasion, the BJP Ministers led by Yediyurappa, came to Vidhana Soudha and sat in the chambers of the Chief Minister. They wanted the Chief Minister to discuss about the conditions BJP had put to attend the Cabinet meeting in his chamber instead of the Cabinet Hall. Kumaraswamy, however, was firm on his stand that the matter should be discussed only in the Cabinet Hall.

Negotiations:
Water Resources Minister K. S. Eshwarappa and Health Minister R. Ashok shuttled between the CM's chambers and Cabinet Hall to persuade the Chief Minister and Deputy Chief Minister to relax their stand. At last they succeeded in persuading the Deputy Chief Minister to go to the Cabinet Hall for the meeting. Other Ministers followed him. As a result, the meeting began 90 minutes behind schedule.

The inside story...
What transpired in the Cabinet meeting when the BJP Ministers led by Deputy Chief Minister B. S. Yediyurappa entered the Cabinet Hall after nearly 90 minutes? The Chief Minister put the BJP Ministers on the defensive, probably, following the principle that in matters such as this, “offence is the best way of defence”. He took objection to the criticism made against him by the BJP Ministers and Legislators, particularly MLC Janardhan Reddy (of Mines scam CD fame) and Tourism Minister B. Sriramulu.

According to insiders, the angry Kumaraswamy told Yediyurappa: "Your member (Janardhan Reddy, MLC) is indulging in my character assassination. He talks nonsense about my family which has hurt me. You people go to the house of such a person, hold meetings, have dinner and even some of you sleep there itself. Have you ever condemned him for insulting me? Have I ever blamed you for his conduct"?

Kumaraswamy went on to say that a BJP Minister (B. Sriramulu) poses murder threat to a Forest Officer and stages dharna before DC's office. "Isn't it wrong? Have you ever pulled him up?” he is learnt to have asked.

After the Cabinet hurriedly passing some subjects, the Chief Minister is learnt to have categorically told the BJP Ministers that there was no question of withdrawing his remarks published in the media nor cancelling the KPSC appointment. "I will not yield to any threat. You can do whatever you want", he told them. Later, BJP Ministers Jagadish Shettar and D. H. Shankaramurthy pacified both the parties with a suggestion that such issues could be discussed at the BJP – JD (S) co-ordination committee meeting tomorrow at 9 am (i. e. on 24th of August 207).

What Reddy said:
Janardhan Reddy, while addressing a press conference at Bellary called Kumaraswamy as “dacoit Chief Minister”. He challenged Kumaraswamy to contest either from Gadag or Bellary. He declared that he would see to it that Kumaraswamy would lose deposit against his contender who will be an ordinary worker of BJP.

Courtesy: Star of Mysore