The honeymoon with the Congress was short-lived and it was time for Deve Gowda's son H D Kumaraswamy to appear out of nowhere and form the government in tandem with the Bharatiya Janata Party.
Although Deve Gowda swore that his son had betrayed him, insiders claim this manoeuvre would not have been possible without Daddy's blessings.
But Daddy stayed away from the BJP-JD-S government and also ensured that his other son, H D Revanna, did not go along with Kumaraswamy.
Barely two months later, the father and sons were one happy family once again. While Kumaraswamy apologised for what had happened, Deve Gowda said he was proud that his son had performed his duty well as chief minister despite 'compromising on the party's ideology.'
As a consolation gift, Deve Gowda asked Revanna to join Kumaraswamy's government.
When it was time to hand over power to the BJP -- the two parties had a power-sharing arrangement, where at the end of 20 months, the JD-S would give the BJP the reins of office -- papa and sons performed another U-turn.
They demanded that the BJP allow Kumaraswamy to continue in power, a condition they knew the latter party would not accept.
Deve Gowda began to explore an alliance with the Congress. He suggested Revanna as head of a Congress-JD-S government, but the Congress cleverly chose not to to bite the bait of power.
Image: Then chief minister H D Kumaraswamy, left, with Deputy Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa after they were sworn in on February 3, 2006. Photograph: Dibayangshu Sarkar/AFP/Getty Images
Also read: Son rises in Karnataka
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