Bengaluru stampede: BJP leadership asks party-JD(S) to corner Congress govt

Seize the opportunity or risk losing political momentum: that is the directive the BJP's central leadership has asked the party and its ally JD(S) in the wake of a deadly stampede which killed 11 people.

The top leaders of the party have reportedly asked to ''politically weaponise the tragedy'' and put the Siddaramiah-led Congress government on the defensive. As part of this tactical move, Union Minister for Heavy Industries HD Kumaraswamy was rushed to Karnataka.

Sources said that he conveyed the high command’s directives to state BJP leaders on the issue.

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Opposition's past failures in targeting Congress

Earlier also, Opposition parties had potent ammunition against the Congress government such as the MUDA scam, corruption within the Valmiki Development Corporation, contractor suicides, and leaked videos involving elected representatives. Despite these serious issues, the Opposition failed to launch an impactful protest which did not go well with the central leadership.

Sources claim that the BJP high command has issued warnings to the Karnataka unit over its failure to effectively corner the Congress. The party's Karnataka in-charge Radha Mohan Das Agarwal and a Union Minister from Karnataka have repeatedly stressed the need to capitalise on internal discontent within the Congress. However, state BJP leaders have reportedly failed to respond.

Repeated instructions have also been issued to the state BJP president, BY Vijayendra, to intensify attacks on the Congress government. However, lack of cooperation within the BJP’s state unit is seen as a major hurdle. Vijayendra has conveyed to the high command that internal discord is hindering the party's growth.

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BJP-JD(S) coordination Issues

Although the RCB stampede tragedy garnered nationwide attention and has put the state government on the defensive, there is concern that the BJP and JD(S), despite being allies, have not been protesting jointly. This disjointed strategy sends mixed signals about the strength of the alliance.

To address this, the BJP high command has instructed the two parties to join forces if they are to effectively challenge the Congress.

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Joint press conference issue

Hence, instructions were issued for a joint press conference on the stampede issue to be held by HD Kumaraswamy and B.Y. Vijayendra.

On Thursday, BJP leaders Vijayendra and R. Ashoka had announced a press meet to launch an attack on the Congress. It was to be held at the Opposition office in Vidhana Soudha. However, by Friday morning, plans changed abruptly, and it was decided that the press conference would be conducted jointly with HD Kumaraswamy, a move reportedly made under direct instructions from the high command.

The story was originally published in Federal Karnataka