Deve Gowda gives left reality check on ‘secular alternative’

NEW DELHI: As Janata Dal (Secular) of former prime minister Deve Gowda faces Wednesday’s by-elections with BJP help, Left parties who recently roped him as an ally have been forced to swallow a bitter pill.

The BJP-JD(S) pact for the two Lok Sabha byelections has once again reminded the Left of the pitfalls of working with slippery regional customers. BJP’s withdrawal of candidates in JD(S) favour follows a common threat the parties face from a resurgent Congress.

The poll pact would see JD(S) return the complement by not contesting the legislative council polls, but for the Left the embarrassment has been acute as it had showcased Gowda as a secular ally only recently.

A source said, senior Left leaders called up Deve Gowda and expressed anguish and surprise over his poll tango with BJP. But Gowda responded by conveying his ‘helplessness’ as the poll arrangement was under pressure from his son Kumaraswamy. Gowda had made similar excuses when his son formed a coalition government with BJP.

Left Parties had taken Gowda to a protest rally against the Oommen Chandy government in Kerala only last week. Prior to that, CPI and CPM had also announced an alliance with JD(S) and SP for the Rajasthan assembly polls, after Gowda visited their headquarters underling the need for ‘united secular fight.’

“After all, Deve Gowda was made the prime minister of the secular UF government. What JD(S) has now done along with BJP in Karnataka by-poll is very unfortunate”, CPM leader Sitaram Yechury told ET. ‘Deve Gowda must clarify his party’s decision,” added CPI’s D Raja. JD(S) general secretary Danish Ali said, “it was BJP that unilaterally decided to withdraw candidates. JD(S) has nothing to do with it.”

On the legislative council polls, Ali said, “we generally don’t contest it.” BJP General Secretary in-charge of Karnataka, Tawar Chand Gehlot, was more forthcoming: “BJP did not want to contest two by-polls in Karnataka just seven months ahead of the Lok Sabha polls. We want to make this poll a united anti-Congress fight by not dividing the Opposition space,” he said.

Sunday’s CPM central committee meeting noted JD(S) ‘opportunism’ and reports that JD(S) and BJP could strike similar pact in the Lok Sabha polls. BJP’s efforts to woo back TDP too is disturbing the Left. “As of now, Chandrababu Naidu says he is with us…” a senior Left leader said.