The heart is where the home is and H.D. Deve Gowda's heart has never been very far from his home state. Even when he was the prime minister, Gowda showed unusual interest in his state, spawning jokes about the "humble farmer" from Kanakapura being the "prime minister of Karnataka". In the years since Gowda demitted office in Delhi, power has changed many hands, both in Bangalore and in the national capital.

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I WANT THIS DONE: Gowda revels in his proximity to Sonia

Gowda's attention, however, remains centred on Karnataka. And as the leader of the JD(S), the ruling coalition partner in the state, he has enough clout to ensure that his wishes are the commands for the Government headed by Congress' Dharam Singh.

Last fortnight, Singh was in the middle of a meeting with senior government officials at Balabrooie, a colonial bungalow on Bangalore's Palace Road when an aide suddenly thrust a cell phone into his hands. The agitated caller was none other than Gowda, who was furious that some JD(S) workers had been rounded up by the police for staging a protest against the building of the Bangalore Mysore Infrastructure Corridor (BMIC), a 110 km expressway between the two cities. Not long after Gowda hung up, instructions went out from the chief minister's office to officials concerned to release the JD(S) workers.

So, is the former prime minister the real power behind the throne in Bangalore? Chief Minister Singh firmly rebuts such charges: "Running a coalition is not an easy thing and we have to discuss all issues with our partner, the JD(S). But I can tell you categorically that I am not anyone's puppet." But that may not be the real truth. "The JD(S) is a partner in the Government and regarding administrative matters, my father can issue directions," says H.D. Kumaraswamy MLA, Gowda's younger son. It is no secret that the Gowda factor plays a key role in the Dharam Singh dispensation as the Government is dependent on the support of 58 JD(S) MLAs for its survival in the 224-member Assembly.

Recently, Gowda threw a tantrum over alleged land grabbing in Bangalore. Though Gowda made it look as if he was merely acting as a concerned citizen, those in the know say his target was D.K. Shivakumar, a former urban development minister, who is considered close to previous chief minister S.M. Krishna. Like Gowda, Shivakumar too belongs to the backward Vokkaliga caste. Gowda believes it was Shivakumar who engineered his defeat in the 2004 Lok Sabha elections from Kanakapura. Shivakumar, on the other hand, thinks it is at Gowda's behest that he is being kept out of the Singh cabinet. Says Shivakumar: "Gowda is acting like an MLA. As a senior politician, he should desist from trying to be a backseat driver." Gowda, of course, refutes such accusations. "People can say what they want, but we want the coalition to run well. I am not remote-controlling or doing any backseat driving. I am sure Singh knows what he is doing."

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IN GOWDA'S NAME: Dharam Singh faces coalition compulsions

The Gowda influence was evident right from the time of government formation. With the elections throwing up a hung assembly, bargaining became the name of the game. And Gowda did some hard bargaining, not backtracking on any of his demands. The JD(S) demanded and got, in addition to the deputy chief minister's post, key portfolios like revenue, finance, heavy industry, public works department and power. In fact, Singh, who held the PWD minister's post under Krishna, could not retain it as the JD(S) made it clear that it would not relent on its demand. Not surprisingly, Singh gave in, only to hand the slot over to the legislator from Holenarsipur, H.D. Revanna, who also happens to be Gowda's son.

The latest example of Gowda's interference is his suggestion to Singh to introduce a 10-year moratorium on the resale of Bangalore Development Authority sites. Krishna had lifted the restriction and made it easier for BDA site holders to sell land at a higher price. It was Gowda's contention that landowners were selling it at 10 times the original price and registering the property at BDA rates to evade stamp duty. Singh listened-and then agreed.

Dependent as he is on the JD(S)'s support, Singh has no other option but to implement Gowda's orders. Though the Government is still two months short of completing a year in office, Singh and Gowda have met more than 20 times to discuss policy matters. In the early days of the Singh regime, over-enthusiastic Congressmen tried to protest against Gowda's alleged backseat driving. But when Gowda flashed his trump card-his proximity to Congress President Sonia Gandhi-the protests from the state Congress became muted and finally died out altogether.

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