Putting the BJP in a bind and attempting to re-establish its secular identity, the Janata Dal (Secular) on Thursday announced that it would continue sharing power with the BJP only if the saffron party removed the communal sting in its tail.

At a meeting of party workers on Thursday, while former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda, the National President of the party, still left a 48-hour window for reconciliation, his son and Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy said he was willing to break his promise on power sharing with the BJP to ensure peace in the state. Calling for support from party workers, Kumaraswamy said he was ready to test his decision to break his promise in the “people’s court”.

Soon after the meeting with party workers, the Chief Minister called for an emergency Cabinet meeting. JD(S) sources said the Cabinet meeting would convene an Assembly session in the next 10 days where Kumaraswamy would test his majority in case the BJP withdraws support. Though the BJP ministers have submitted their resignations to Kumaraswamy, they continue to be in Government since the resignations have not been sent to the Governor. The Assembly session will also be used to buy time to explore an alternate arrangement to keep the BJP out of power, including support from the Congress, sources said.

Deve Gowda, however, stated that his party’s political affairs committee would meet in New Delhi on Friday afternoon and subsequently seek an audience with BJP President Rajnath Singh. “The final outcome will be known in another 48 hours,” Deve Gowda said.

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