Daijiworld Media Network - Bengaluru (SP)

Bengaluru, Feb 12: Congress - JD(S) combine has succeeded in ensuring that 'Operation Lotus' launched by opposition leader, B S Yeddyurappa, backfires, by using the audio tape as a potent weapon against the ambitious veteran politician.

The audio 'bomb' which made national headlines, and succeeded in projecting Yeddyurappa as villain, was also raised in the Parliament. Both the coalition partners in Karnataka have succeeded in holding back BJP's advances and embarrassing the saffron party with their combined strategy. The combine, which was on the back foot till recently, and was waiting for such an opportunity, has gleefully embraced it when it came their way. Now, it plans to use this tape to save the government and hit back at the BJP in a big way at a time when Lok Sabha election is round the corner.

There are claims that the coalition partners might attempt reverse operation to strengthen their positions, on the basis of the victory they are savouring at the moment.

On Sunday, leaders of both these parties had held consultations about the way the incident can be politically encashed. Deve Gowda, Mallikarjun Kharge, Siddaramaiah, Dinesh Gundu Rao and other leaders participated in the discussions after which Kumaraswamy made preparations for firing the salvo at Yeddyurappa.

Sources say that after the issue was brought to the notice of All India Congress Committee president, Rahul Gandhi, the high command asked the state unit to see that BJP is shamed on the basis of the audio tape at the national level. The plan was to give full thrust to the issue of sullying the Speaker's reputation with bribe charge, and bringing the entire episode into the gamut of this inquiry.

Kumaraswamy has succeeded in effectively using the opportunity, and the Congress willingly supported JD(S) as it was facing dissidence in a big way. Now all eyes are riveted on the BJP's strategy to save its face.

In the meanwhile, it is learnt that BJP central leadership has asked Yeddyurappa not to try Operation Lotus till the conclusion of Lok Sabha election. It is said that during his visit to Hubballi, Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, expressed his resentment at the development and asked the leaders to see that the audio tape episode does not dent the party's chances in the election.