Kumaraswamy-led JD(S) takes a 'right turn'

Maqsood Maniyar | NT

Bengaluru: J D(S) state president and two-time chief minister HD Kumaraswamy has surprised many with his right-ward tilt as of late.

Kumaraswamy had convinced the regional outfit’s national president and former prime minister HD Deve Gowda that it was necessary for the party to ally itself with the BJP for 2024 Lok Sabha elections as it was an “existential” crisis.

Many Muslims of the old Mysuru region – previously a loyal support base – had moved away from the JD(S), mainly to the Congress.

Moreover, many Vokkaligas cast their ballot for the Grand Old Party, outlining the emergence of Karnataka Congress chief DK Shivakumar as a Vokkaliga mass leader.

As a result, the JD(S) was reduced to 19 seats down from 37 in the 2018 polls. It had been the party’s worst performance since 1999, the year of its inception.

Surprisingly, Kumaraswamy publically blamed Muslims for JD(S)’ electoral losses, alleging that “I stood by them but they didn’t stand by me”.

Kumaraswamy even denied that Muslims voted for him in his seat Channapatna, a claim no observer worth his salt will agree to.

HDK chants ‘Jai Shri Ram’

What has been surprising is Kumaraswamy co-opting Hindutva slogans such as “Jai Shri Ram” (victory to Lord Ram) as opposed to “Jai Siya Ram”, a greeting in the Hindi belt.

The winter session had taken a break this past (second) Saturday of the month. Kumaraswamy took the day off to attend an event at a school run by RSS leader Kalladka Prabhakar Bhat, known for his inflammatory communal speeches.

The former CM heaped praise on Bhat, retracting his old criticism of the RSS man, which he claimed was based on “wrong information” that he had received. He ended his speech with Jai shri Ram.

The JD(S) leader has also taken to ending some of his speeches in the Assembly with the slogan.

This is in sharp contrast with the Kumaraswamy of 2020 when he had criticized Bhat for visiting Ramanagara, stating “after spoiling the people of Dakshina Kannada district, he wants to spoil the people of Ramanagara district”.

Note that Dakshina Kannada and Udupi districts are regarded as a laboratory for Hindutva experiments. Now, it is being whispered that Kumaraswamy will take in the controversial Datta Jayanti at Baba Budangiri shrine in Chikkamagaluru district, which is a part of the communally sensitive Malnad region.

Datta Jayanti, which is later in December, is often marred by violence. The JD(S) does have some presence in Chikkamagaluru district. The Bababudangiri ‘dargah’ or the Sri Guru Dattatreya Swamy shrine is revered by both Hindus and Muslims of the region.

Hindutva ideologues have been trying to project the spot as the “Babri of the south” and hence they’re trying to “reclaim” it.

In other instances, Kumaraswamy has criticized CM Siddaramaiah for “appeasement” because he announced that some resources would be allocated for the development of Muslims.

The fear among many observers is that the Vokkaliga vote would shift to the BJP via the JD(S) route.