Rahul asks are you Janata Dal ‘Secular’ or Janata Dal ‘Parivar’?

Amid reports that former Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda’s party was considering going with either the BJP or Congress to form the government in case the Karnataka assembly election threw up a hung assembly, Congress President Rahul Gandhi asked Deve Gowda’s JD(S) to decide whether it is Janata Dal ‘Secular’ or Janata Dal ‘Parivar’, and make it clear to the people which side it’s on.

The Congress President made the comments while addressing an election rally in Hoskote, Karnataka earlier on Monday. Rahul said, “The JD(S) must clarify its ideology and towards which side of the political spectrum it leans.”

The JD(S), which has been fighting the election in alliance with Mayawati’s Bahujan Samaj Party, has been claiming that it would form the government on its own, but many analysts expect it may play the role of ‘kingmaker’ in case of a hung assembly.

Some political observers say that the JD(S) is most likely to support the BJP in such a scenario, however Deve Gowda then went on record saying that he would disown his son HD Kumaraswamy if the latter decided to join with BJP post-polls. It is believed that Mayawati has expressed her displeasure to Deve Gowda about any suggestions that JD(S) might join with BJP.

However, earlier on May 7 Kumaraswamy, when releasing his party’s manifesto for the assembly election, said that the JD(S) was is ready to join hands with any party who will implement their party's manifesto.