Bengaluru: Karnataka JD(S) president H Vishwanath's public outburst at former state chief minister Siddaramaiah may have seemingly rattled the Congress-JD(S) coalition government in the state. But is there more than meets the eye?

Such a question is bound to arise considering that the Lok Sabha results are round the corner. Sources say that the entire episode may have been orchestrated by the JD(S) itself in a bid to isolate Siddaramaiah and stymie his chances of becoming the chief minister, if the coalition performs badly in the general election.

A look at the sequence of events preceding the public spat between the two leaders provides a good insight.

First, Vishwanath met Srinivas Prasad. Though it was said the meeting was one of courtesy, any political observer would not vouch for it.

Sources say that the two met and discussed the issue of “original or native Congressmen and the immigrant Congressmen” angle. This is a reference to the fact that Prasad, now a BJP candidate from Chamarajanagar, split from the Congress owing to Siddaramaiah’s alleged arrogance. It’s worth mentioning that Vishwanath too left the Congress and joined the JD(S).

Next, why did Vishwanath specially hit out at Siddaramaiah? If sources are to go by, it was a tactical decision to pitch a Kuruba against another Kuruba, therefore completely decimating the “Kuruba roots” Siddaramaiah boasts of.

While Vishwanath and Siddaramaiah continue to fight, chief minister HD Kumaraswamy jumped into the fray and called the former chief minister his “brother” with an attempt to placate him and, if sources are to go by, give an indication that neither he nor his father JD(S) national president and former Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda has any role to play in the entire issue.

On the other hand, the BJP is quick to label it a “decoy operation”.

“This is nothing but a decoy operation. It is a ploy to retain JD(S) MLAs with themselves and not allow them to think of joining the BJP. It is all to safeguard to save the chief minister’s chair,” says Shreenath Sheshadri, a BJP spokesperson.