Earlier, looking back at his 2006 truck with the BJP, Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy listed out instances of communal problems in the state as reason for his call for discussions ahead of the October 3 power transfer. He cited the example of the recent attack on the home of Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Karunanidhi’s daughter, the killing of two persons in a bus burning incident by people with alleged links to the BJP, and the trouble at the Datta Peeta shrine shared by Hindus and Muslims in Chikamagalur district.

“We need to talk on what they will do on these issues if we hand over power to them. Will they allow communal situations to flare up in the state? This is not child’s play, these are serious issues,” Kumaraswamy told his party workers. “There were communal problems in Mangalore during our tenure, but we controlled it quickly. What if such incidents occur again? We cannot transfer power without discussing these issues. We can discuss it even after October 5,” he said.

The Chief Minister said many of his MLAs had asked him to keep his promise to BJP leader B S Yediyurappa in order to avoid earning the reputation of being untrustworthy. “If tomorrow, after transferring power, there are communal riots in the state, what will be worse—the breaking of a promise or the breakdown of law and order. Within 48 hours of promising not to touch the Babri Masjid, through a court affidavit, it was broken,” Kumaraswamy stated.