BSY-HDK bhai bhai

All is fair in war and politics. Bitter rivals until the recent state assembly elections, former chief ministers BS Yeddyurappa and HD Kumaraswamy, appear to be bonding like never before. After all the mud-slinging, the two have recently been exchanging plenty of sweet talk. And now, Kumaraswamy has been saved from a criminal defamation case that could have spelt big trouble for him.
 

The defamation case was filed by Yeddyurappa and the state government in 2009. Yeddyurappa was at the height of his powers then, having ridden a wave of support for having been ditched by Kumaraswamy and 8steering the BJP to victory in the elections. Once ushered into the chief minister’s chair, he did not take lightly comments made against him by his predecessor. Yeddyurappa and the state government had filed the case — No. 2/2009 under Section 500 (defamation) —before the XXXII Additional City Civil and Sessions judge. 
 

Even while the case was pending before the court, the fight between the two reached feverish pitch culminating in Yeddyurappa challenging Kumaraswamy to take a “truth test” before Lord Manjunatha in Dharmasthala in 2011. 
 

Kumaraswamy had meanwhile filed a petition in the High Court of Karnataka seeking to quash the case in the lower court. Last month, 8Yeddyurappa filed a signed memo stating that he does not wish to 8prosecute the complaint any more. Following this, on June 27, 8Justice HS Kempanna quashed the complaint and the proceedings in the case.
 

In 2007, Kumaraswamy and 8Yeddyurappa made the strangest of bedfellows. Only one innings of their proposed 20-20 government was played out as Kumaraswamy refused to hand over power to the coalition partner at the end of 20 months. 
 

Now with Congress at the helm, the two again appear willing to share the same saddle with Yeddyurappa talking about forming a grand coalition of opposition parties, while Gowda is 8also talking about joining hands with non-BJP parties to take on the Congress.