[1]Bengaluru: A return to 2004? Or events that foreshadow a future realignment of the opposition? Former Chief Minister B.S. Yeddyurappa led a first of its kind walkout from the assembly on Tuesday, with former colleagues from the BJP and Sreeramulu's BSR Congress joining members of his KJP as they marched out of the assembly.
The development does not augur well for the Congress as it points not just to the unspoken rehabilitation of the rebel leader by the parent party, but a coming together of the various fragments of the BJP ahead of 2014 parliamentary polls, which could make them all but unbeatable.
The opposition's united fight against the ruling Congress in the Legislative Assembly during the debate on the budget was also marked by unusual camaraderie between BSY and former chief minister H.D. Kumaraswamy and H.D. Revanna of the JD(S). However, the JD(S), which broke with the BSY-led BJP in 2008, stopped short of joining the walk-out.
The walkout took place when BJP floor leader Jagadish Shettar started the debate on the budget and found himself speaking to virtually empty treasury benches. Shettar's criticism of the Congress was challenged by the Congress' Ramesh Kumar, who said that the people had given a mandate to Congress.
But Yeddyurappa's counter set off speculation of an understanding on floor co-ordination before a possible formal merger, when he said: "We have made mistakes and we have realised that. The party was divided into three but we know where we stand now. Before Parliament elections, we will rectify our mistakes and meanwhile, you people (Congress) make preparations to come and sit in the opposition benches.''
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