Despite healthy cynicism within the BJP and other NDA partners about the true political motives of JD(S) leader and former prime minister HD Deve Gowda, the former prime minister has for the first time committed himself to issue-based cooperation with the NDA.In an interview to Sangh mouthpiece Organiser, an unusual choice given his political past and his avowedly anti-BJP politics till some time ago, Gowda said the policies and programmes adopted by his party in 1999 would be the basis of extending cooperation to the NDA. “On the question of coordination (with the NDA) I have no reservations depending on the nature of issues,” he said in reply to a question whether he had any plans to be part of the NDA or have floor coordination with the NDA in Parliament. Nor did Gowda rule out the possibility of joining hands with the BJP in Assembly or Lok Sabha elections, given an agreement on policies.However, despite Gowda's encouraging words on working with the BJP and other NDA partners and shedding an earlier reluctance to work openly with them, the BJP may still not warm towards the JD(S) leader. Believing that he had little option but to try and reach out to the BJP through the RSS mouthpiece since his son HD Kumaraswamy was Chief Minister of Karnataka with the backing of the BJP, the party is sceptical, especially given the JD(S)’ poor numbers in Parliament.BJP vice-president VK Malhotra said there had been no talks with the JD(S) but commitment on issue-based support was “good”.
