BJP must not stake claim to form a Ministry in Karnatakawithout an absolute majority

The political crisis in Karnataka that has been brewing formonths has boiled over, threatening the Congress-Janata Dal(S) coalitiongovernment. With 13 of its MLAs resigning from the Assembly in phases, and oneindependent withdrawing his support, the coalition’s original strength of 118in the 224-seat House appears to have come down to 104. If all the resignationsare found valid and accepted by the Speaker, the halfway mark will drop from 113to 106. The BJP has 105 MLAs and the support of independent MLA Nagesh, who hasresigned as a Minister. All the Congress and JD(S) Ministers have resigned toallow the leadership the space to lure back the dissidents. With allegations ofbribery, and abduction and confinement of lawmakers, what is unfolding is amockery of democracy and a shameful disregard for the 2018 verdict. Thoughthere are contradictions in the coalition and both parties had fought lastyear’s election separately, post-poll coalitions are a legitimate andhonourable route to the formation of a government in a hung Assembly. Thelegislators driven by nothing more than their greed are not setting a goodexample. Even if the Congress and the JD(S) manage to quell the rebellion andsave the government, the truce will be dubious and tainted.

The BJP’s hand in the crisis is not invisible. In fact, itsimprimatur is unmistakable in the turmoil. The party, which emerged as thesingle largest in the election but short of a majority, has not been able toaccept the verdict and play the role of a responsible Opposition. The BJP’smaximalist approach of seizing power by all means and in all places may haveserved it well in terms of expanding its footprint. But this approach does notconform to its claimed adherence to democracy. In Arunachal Pradesh and Goa,the BJP had acted on its philosophy that the pursuit of power justifies allmeans. In Karnataka, the party has used the strategy of engineeringresignations of MLAs to force by-elections several times over the last decade.Given this pattern, and considering the BJP State unit’s relentless attempts todestabilise the coalition from the word go, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh’sprotestations in Parliament on Monday that the BJP had nothing to do with thecurrent crisis in Karnataka carries little credibility. The party has meanwhilesaid that it would seek to form an alternative government, should the coalitioncrumble. The BJP must resist that temptation and instead wait for the resultsof the by-elections caused by the resignations. If the coalition collapsesunder its own weight, any alternative arrangement that is short of an absolutemajority of the total strength of the House will be shaky and lacking inpolitical legitimacy. That situation is best avoided.