Cong-JD(S) Karnataka Govt Stares At Fall

More than a dozen legislators of the ruling Janata Dal (S)-Congress alliance in Karnataka have submitted their resignation to Speaker K. R. Ramesh Kumar, plunging the 13-month-old government into a severe crisis, even as Congress blamed BJP of horse-trading to unsettle their democratic right.

The crisis began as 13 Congress and JD(S) MLAs reached the Speaker’s office on Saturday to put in their papers and later met Governor Vajubhai Vala at the Raj Bhavan. It is reported that all these legislators have not taken a chartered flight to Mumbai and are staying there.

While the Congress is confident to blow away the crisis after it manages to speak to their legislators, ff the resignations remain in place, the ruling coalition will lose majority in the 224-member Assembly as its strength will come down to 104. The BJP has 106 members in the Assembly.

After meeting the Governor, JD(S) MLA A H Vishwanath said, “Fourteen MLAs from Congress and JD(S), including Anand Singh, have submitted resignation from the Assembly to the Speaker…we also brought to matter to the notice of governor.” 

Singh submitted his resignation to the Speaker earlier this week.

Vishwanath accused the coalition government led by Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy of failing in its duty and denied that the BJP was behind the revolt.

“The government failed to coordinate with the MLAs…and take them along. It has also failed to live up to the expectations of the people,” he said.

On the charge that the BJP was trying to destabilise the government through “Operation Lotus (BJP’s poll symbol)”, he said it is “a figment of your imagination”.

“There is no BJP angle to it. We are all seniors. No operation can happen…we are resigning voluntarily against the apathy of the government,” he said.

Assembly Speaker Ramesh Kumar, who was not in his office when the legislators went there Saturday, confirmed the resignations and said “whether the government will fall or survive” would be decided “in the Assembly”.

As a last-ditch bid, Congress’s “trouble shooter” and Minister D K Shivakumar met the legislators and tried to convince them.