Kumaraswamy’s Singapore Trip Raises Speculations of BJP-JDS Alliance

Bengaluru: Amidst the backdrop of renewed camaraderie between the BJP and the Janata Dal-Secular (JDS), the sudden visit of former Karnataka Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy to Singapore on Sunday has triggered heightened speculations about the two parties joining forces for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.

Speaking to reporters in Bengaluru, Shivakumar claimed that planned meetings were being held in Singapore, fuelling the speculations surrounding the nature of Kumaraswamy's visit. In response to queries from the media regarding this matter, Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar stated that he has received information about the purported "game plan”.

The context of Kumaraswamy's sudden trip to Singapore comes in the aftermath of an announcement made during the last day of the Assembly session. In a joint press conference, former Chief Ministers Basavaraj Bommai and Kumaraswamy declared their intent to unite and challenge the Congress-led state government both inside and outside the Assembly.

Kumaraswamy, accompanied by his family, departed for Singapore on Sunday morning, with an expected duration of a week for his visit. Interestingly, this is not the first time he has travelled to Singapore following a significant political event.

After the 2018 Assembly elections, Kumaraswamy visited the city-state and returned to Bengaluru just one day before the counting of votes. This year as well, Kumaraswamy flew to Singapore after the assembly polls ended.

As the political landscape continues to evolve, the recent developments and Kumaraswamy's visit to Singapore have added a layer of intrigue. Thereby, giving rise to further speculations about the potential collaboration between the BJP and JDS ahead of the highly anticipated Lok Sabha elections.

The rumours are rife that the movement against the Siddaramiah government gained momentum following the statement of the tall Billava and Congress leader BK Hariprasad (MLC) that “he new how to make somebody Chief Minister and how to bring him down…” This statement has gained traction in the last two days that senior leader like Hariprasad has been sidelined after the 2023 assembly elections. Hariprasad was in the core team of the high command along with Randeep Singh Surjewala, Venugopal (both General Secretaries of the Party) and had led the party campaign in Karnataka from the front. He had also made it adequately clear that he was an aspirant for a ministerial berth. His community (Billavas) were also hopeful of him getting a position in the government.

Though the Billavas and their Cohorts in Eediga and Namdharis communities have been given ministerial berths (Madhu Bangarappa and Mankal Vaidya, respectively) “But Hariprasad had been in the Congress party for over 40 years and had been Rajya Sabha MP for 19 years and deserved to get a ministry. I have no hesitation in attributing to him the success of the victory of Congress party in 2023 assembly elections” Pranavananda Swamiji of Narayana Guru Shakti Kendra and the only swamiji of Billava community. He also had a meeting with the union minister Sripad Naik (Mines and ports) who happen to be the central face of Billava community and things are getting solidified against the injustice meted out to Hariprasad the swamiji told Hans India