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Editorial

The Karnataka imbroglio

Touted as the father of modern political science, Niccolò Machiavelli, once said, "Politics have no relation to morals". Indeed, with the current imbroglio that presides over Karnataka, the moral foul play should not come as a surprise. With BJP and Congress drawing swords at each other, playing the blame-game over the MLA-poaching issue, there is little left to be stunned by. Layman does not expect politicos to possess high moral standards which is why the 'horse-trading' situation does not raise eyebrows. However, it sure concerns the party at the receiving end. Congress has been hit by what is allegedly regarded as 'Operation Lotus'. With the withdrawal of support to the Congress-JDS coalition government by two independents, alliance's strength has been brought down to 117 in a House of 224. Though still in the majority, CM Kumaraswamy remains confident of his numbers and feels relaxed amidst brewing controversies pertaining to his government's untimely fall. What drives BS Yeddyurappa and his apparent 'Operation Lotus' is not just the extra effort to poach MLAs but the belief to topple the government owing to the disenchantment present within the alliance. If the Kumaraswamy-led coalition government fails to have the numbers in the House or fails to have MLAs in its favour in a no-confidence vote, his dispensation will collapse. For Yeddyurappa, both are best case scenarios with the end result being that BJP, who had fallen short by some numbers to make the government, aiming to capitalise. With his mind games in play, Yeddyurappa expects the turmoil to spread like wildfire, benefitting him in the long run. His previous stints as CM have not been pleasant, and so, a fourth (and full-fledged) term is what he dearly eyes. Meanwhile, the reports of some Karnataka Congress MLAs lodged at a Mumbai hotel with leaders from the saffron party has been making rounds in the political network. And, while Congress transpired about the apparent collusion, Yeddyurappa rubbed salt on the burns by accusing Kumaraswamy of trying to lure his party's MLAs using "power and money". Currently, the BJP MLAs are lodged in a resort near Gurgaon, safeguarded in the wake of any attempts of (counter) poaching by Congress. This turmoil has definitely left the Congress-JDS coalition government scratching heads over the confusion that the opposition would want to prevail and aggravate. Dissent may arise within the coalition and that may be the very reason why despite the recent developments, Kumaraswamy is relaxed and confident of his dispensation. That is what a good leader will do, despite the deteriorating situation. But, all this is not new. In politics, mind games have won more battles than people's mandate. It is never transpired. BJP was left with a sour taste when the 2018 Karnataka polls saw them being the single largest party as per the mandate, but Congress played the trump card as they formed the government through coalition – touted by many as the only way to defeat BJP in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. So when BJP realises how the opposition plans on toppling their chances for a successive term at the Centre, an effort by them to cause hindrance in their plans is something that cannot be ruled out. After all, BJP, more than anyone, recognises the coalition-style defeat it was subject to in Karnataka. Therefore, Congress's allegation that their biggest opponent is plying to showcase the lacunas in a coalition government might be true. The Karnataka imbroglio has a mid-way conclusion on the national narrative of the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. Criticising the coalition government besides hurting them from within through dirty political moves such as shopping for MLAs may create an air of mistrust in Karnataka's cabinet which may even succumb to it. In such a case, people might not trust the alliance way, restoring their faith in an absolute majority which the BJP will be desperate to achieve. Besides this, Karnataka is one of the five states where Congress is in power and incapacitating Congress there means severely impacting its election funding and campaigning. In the larger scheme of things, why Karnataka only woke up to this political turmoil gets explained. While this ploy may greatly benefit the lotus party, it may also backfire. People have not yet expressed discontent towards the alliance and it is a mere thought that they might not believe in it. The recent state elections had made BJP cut a desolate figure while it yielded tremendously for Congress, strengthening their bid to power in the 2019 elections. The lotus party's defeat was due to genuine issues which they had overlooked or haphazardly handled. If the layman sees right through these political stunts then this horse-trading scene becomes immaterial and people will still believe in the opposition and their words owing to dissatisfaction from the current government – something that will invariably prove decisive in the upcoming elections.

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