The Congress tied up with the Janata Dal(Secular) to form the government in Karnataka.
Just when the controversy over the trailer of the upcoming movie 'The Accidental Prime Minister' finally seemed to be dying down, the BJP dragged a new name into the fray on Saturday. Their target for the moment was HD Kumaraswamy, a political ally-turned-foe who is now the chief minister of a state once regarded as the party's stronghold in the south.
"If there was a movie titled #AccidentalCM, who will play the role of @hd_kumaraswamy?" the Karnataka unit of the BJP said in a tweet.
Here, the reference was to the Janata Dal(Secular) leader becoming the Chief Minister despite his party commanding just 37 seats in the state assembly. The Congress, which managed to win 80 seats in the assembly polls earlier this year, outmaneouvred the BJP to join hands with Mr Kumaraswamy's party and other allies to put up a total count of 120. This was 16 seats more than the opposition party's 104 and seven beyond the majority mark of 113. It was decided that while the Janata Dal(Secular) would be allowed to appoint one of its own as the chief minister, a majority of the berths in the state cabinet will go to the Congress.
Although state BJP chief BS Yeddyurappa was initially sworn in as the chief minister, the position went to Mr Kumaraswamy after the former resigned ahead of the vote of confidence. The BJP has been questioning his credentials to rule the state ever since, and even Mr Kumaraswamy has mentioned on occasion that he owes his position to the Congress' generosity.
The trailer of 'The Accidental Prime Minister', with vocal BJP supporter Anupam Kher in the starring role, created a stir on social media upon its release on December 27. It showed scenes in which former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh appeared to be under pressure from the Congress, especially party leaders Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi.
While the BJP claimed that the movie looked "riveting", the Congress accused it of trying to capitalise on a "piece of cinematic propaganda" at a time when the country is preparing for the national election. Manmohan Singh chose to not comment on the movie.
Mr Kher, however, saw nothing wrong with the timing of the film's release. "If a film is about the government and the prime minister, it makes perfect sense to launch it before the elections," he said, adding that it should be nominated for the Oscars.