BJP's assessment of JD(S) was wrong: Venkaiah Naidu

POWERLESS IN KARNATAKA: BJP leader Venkaiah Naidu says JD(S) would pay for breaking trust.

        

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Karan Thapar: As the political situation in Karnataka turns from crisis to farce, we ask is the BJP the big loser. That’s the key issue I shall explore with the party’s former president and the man they consider the architect of the BJP’s alliance with the JD(S): Venkaiah Naidu.

Mr Naidu, on September 27 you said there will be a transfer of power and there is no doubt about it. On October 1, Mr Kumaraswamy said he will transfer power and you said reports to the contrary are completely untrue. Today is October 5—the transfer hasn’t happened. Can you accept you were wrong?

Venkaiah Naidu: Still there is 24 hours time, let us see. Right from the day one when Kumaraswamy came out, had discussion with us and told me that he has got non-Congress blood, he was uncomfortable with the Congress party and he wanted to have an alliance with the BJP—not only now but even in future also we will go together, we believed him.

Karan Thapar: That’s the problem. You believed him but you are not listening to him. You say you have 24 hours more yet. Deve Gowda has gone on record to say that the power sharing agreement is invalid. His son has said that he will break the promise. Have you been betrayed or have you been outsmarted?

Venkaiah Naidu: I don’t want to say betrayal or to use any such words till the alliance is on. Once alliance is broken, then we will take the people into confidence and we will tell them whatever happened all these months.

Karan Thapar: The alliance is as good as broken. Kumaraswamy is accusing the BJP of being communal. He says he cannot trust the peace and harmony of Karnataka in your hands. He does not believe that the safety of the state can be secured by the BJP. That’s why he says he is not handing over power.

Venkaiah Naidu: No, one must understand that we are ruling around 10 states. All of them are safe and secure.

Karan Thapar: But your ally in Karnataka doesn’t trust you.

Venkaiah Naidu: In Karnataka, in 20 months, when he was chief minister and we were supporting him everything was fine. The BJP was secular—he was comfortable. Law and order was completely comfortable. Now if he gets doubts, I can’t help him.