Kumaraswamy meets 'old friend' Ibrahim

Bengaluru: Less than 24 hours after Chand Mahal Ibrahim announced the end of his relationship with the Congress, H D Kumaraswamy, State chief of the Janata Dal-Secular (JDS), on Friday met him at his residence in the city.

Though the rumour mills were in overdrive spinning their own theories, even the closest circles of Kumaraswamy or that of CM Ibrahim, did not know what transpired between the two leaders. "I would say only this, it is a meeting between two old friends if I met him," Kumaraswamy had exclaimed on Thursday in Ramanagar before driving to Bengaluru.

In a typical political gimmick, the Congress second-line leaders spread a rumour that Ibrahim met Congress leader S Siddaramiah. A visibly piqued Kumaraswamy had scotched the rumours and said "it is not important who Siddaramiah met, and how far it is true. My party is a party of the workers and people who support our cause who are important to me. JDS is a party made by its workers". The party will show how strong was the bond between its workers and people in 2023. Kumaraswamy stated.

The meeting of Kumaraswamy and Ibrahim is stated to be a significant event in the recent political developments in the State. In a coup of sorts, Siddaramiah had taken many stalwarts away from JDS and inducted them into the Congress. Ibrahim, Jayaprakash Hegde, late B A Mohideen and M C Nanaiah were the other top leaders of those days who had left the party.

Ibrahim, despite being a Muslim leader is a staunch follower of Basaveshwara (Basavanna), the 12th-century philosopher, social reformer and statesman and believer in Shaivism. Ibrahim can recite the Vachanas of Basavanna and quote from his life and from Hindu scriptures like Bhagavadgita and epics like Ramayana and Mahabharata. He was a rare combination of learning and practice of true secularism for which quality he had grown both in JDS and in the Congress, he also has admirers in BJP.

Political analysts say that while the JDS gave him his due it was the heydays of the party. He was union minister twice and had been the Number two functionary of the government headed by H D Deve Gowda. While the Congress party had even waited for a long time to field him and only in the last two years he was elected to the upper house of the Karnataka legislature.

Ibrahim while announcing the end of his relationship with Congress had also stated that he would resign as a member of the legislative council. "It was reluctantly given to me by the Congress so let them take it back!" he had added.

But in many ways, it is going to be a loss to Congress feel the think tanks in the political circles. It can make a dent in the party's minority affairs as Ibrahim had a great following not just among Muslims but also from a few Hindu upper castes. That following may shift to JDS, they analysed.