BJP asks Kumaraswamy to quit as his govt has lost majority

Bapuu Naraayannkar

Bengaluru: Mounting the pressure on the tottering Congress-JDS coalition
government, the BJP on Monday urged chief minister H D Kumaraswamy to quit followingthe resignation of 14 MLAs belonging to both the parties,  thus reducing the government to minority.

The government's strength in the assembly as been reduced to 104 seats.

The BJP has 107 members after H Nagesh and Shankar, extending support to BJP,  after tendering their resignations.

“We have decided to hold protest dharnas in all the district headquarters on Tuesday
demanding Kumaraswamy’s resignation. This government has no moral right to continue in
office,” state BJP President B S Yeddyurappa told reporters here.

He spoke to the media after
the meeting of the party’s legislature party at the state headquarters.

Later,  party general secretary Aravind
Limbavali clarified that the BJP has nothing to do with what decision will the Speaker take
on the resignation of 14 MLAs.

“The party’s future course of action in the legislature session will be discussed and decided in the legislature party to be held again on Tuesday evening,” he said.

Talking about the technicalities, Limbavali also said since the period of a member identifying with a political party within six months of getting elected is over the issue of merger of his KPJP with Congress is rendered irrelevant since he had given such a letter to BJP also.

As per the rules, a member has
to identify with a political party within six months of getting elected. Since that period is
over, that issue is irrelevant.

Asserting that the BJP has not done anything to rock the coalition government,
Limbavali categorically denied the charge that the BJP had lured the ruling party MLAs.

“There is not even an iota of truth in the charge levelled by Congress leader Siddaramaiah.

BJP totally refutes the charge as malicious and baseless,” he said.

Limbavali said the unanimous view of the members of the legislature party is that the coalition
government has reached a situation where it is bound to collapse due to its own internal contradictions.

All JDS, Cong ministers resign in a last bid to save wobbly coalition govt

Bapuu Naraayannkar

Bengaluru: All JDS and Congress ministers resigned on Monday to pave way for reshuffling of JDS-Congress cabinet to pacify the disgruntled MLAs.

"All JDS ministers have resigned in the same manner as 21 ministers of the Congress party have resigned. The cabinet will be restructured soon," the Twitter handle of CMO Karnataka read. 

Earlier, as may as 21 Congress ministers resigned along with Deputy Chief Minister G Parameshwara from his post.

In the morning, ahead of the breakfast meeting with Congress ministers, Parameshwara said he was ready to quit from his post  to accommodate rebel MLAs.

Karnataka politics plunged into deep crisis after 13 MLAs of the ruling alliance submitted their resignations to the office of Speaker on Saturday.

Anand Singh, another Congress MLA, had resigned on July 1, taking the total to 14 MLAs, altogether.

However, Speaker Ramesh Kumar is yet to accept their resignations as he is only available in the office tomorrow.

Speaking to reporters, Kumaraswamy, who landed in the city from US visit, blamed BJP for the present political turmoil and added that the government will survive.

BJP has 106 MLAs in the 224-member Karnataka Assembly, after H Nagesh quit as minister and extended support to BJP.

The saffron party is now seven short of a simple majority.