K’taka Govt in crisis, 13 Cong-JD(S) MLAs quit
   Date :07-Jul-2019

 
BENGALURU:
 
 
The JD(S)-Congress coalition’s total strength, including those who have put in their papers, is 118 (Congress-78, JD(S)-37, BSP-1 and Independents-2), besides the Speaker.
 
The BJP has 105 MLAs in the House, where half-way mark is 113. 
 
THE JD(S)-Congress Government plunged into a crisis on Saturday with 13 MLAs of the alliance submitting their resignation to the Speaker. The ruling coalition, which has 118 members, faces the risk of losing majority in the 224-member Assembly if the resignations are accepted. The crisis, which had been brewing ever since the BJP swept the parliamentary polls in the State, deepened as the group of MLAs reached the Speaker’s office to put in their papers and later met Governor Vajubhai Vala at the Raj Bhavan.
 
“Fourteen MLAs from Congress and JD(S), including Anand Singh, have submitted resignation from the Assembly to the Speaker,” JD(S) MLA A H Vishwanath said after meeting the Governor. However, Assembly secretariat sources said a total of 13 MLAs have put in their papers, including Singh who 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 poach MLAs 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 The JD(S)-Congress coalition’s total strength, including those who have put in their papers, is 118 (Congress-78,JD(S)-37,BSP1 and Independents-2), besides theSpeaker.The BJPhas 105 MLAs intheHouse.The MLAs who were seen at the Speaker’s office are Ramesh Jarkiholi (Gokak), Pratap Gowda Patil (Maski), Shivram Hebbar (Yellapur), Mahesh Kumathalli (Athani), BCPatil (Hirekerur), Byratibasavaraj (K R Puram), S T Soma Shekar (Yashwanthpur) and Ramalinga Reddy (BTM Layout) of the Congress. The JD(S) MLAs are A H Vishwanath (Hunsur), who recently resigned as the party’s state chief, Narayana Gowda (K R Pet), and Gopalaiah (Mahalakshmi Layout). Assembly Speaker Ramesh Kumar, whowasnotinhisoffice when the legislators went there Saturday, said“whetherthegovernment will fall or survive” would be decided “in the Assembly”.
 
The Speaker told reporters,“11 ofthemhave submitted resignation letters.Itold officials to take the letters and issue acknowledgement...On Tuesday I will go to office and takefurtheractioninaccordance withrules.”Later,Congress MLA Munirathna (Rajarajeshwari Nagar) put in his papers, the Assembly secretariat sources said. He was also seen with the rebel MLAs outside Raj Bhavan. TEN DISSIDENT
 
MLAS LEAVE FOR MUMBAI: RESORT politics returned to haunt the Congress-JDS coalition Government in Karnataka with ten MLAs, who submitted their resignation,leavingforMumbai on Saturday. These MLAs are likely to stay in a Hotel there, sources close tothemsaid.They leftbyacharteredflight,theysaid.
 
BJP TRYING TO BRING DOWN KARNATAKA GOVT BY ‘BUYING’ MLAS: CONG: THE Congress on Saturday accused the BJP of trying to bring down its coalition Government in Karnataka by “buying” MLAs and asserted that the new wordforthe‘aayaram,gayaram’ phenomenon is “MODI -- mischievously orchestrated defections in India”. 
 
Ready to form Govt in Karnataka: BJP
 
BENGALURU:
 
THE BJP on Saturday said it is ready to form the Government in Karnataka following fresh trouble in the ruling CongressJD(S) Government with resignations of 11 MLAs from the two parties and that party leader B S Yeddyurappa will be the Chief Minister. Party leader and Chemicals and Fertilisers D V Sadananda Gowda told reporters here that the MLAs have decided to resign as they thought it was not in the interest of the people of the State and their constituency.
 
“This type of activities (were) are going on in Karnataka.Today they thought that it is high time to come out of that party and resign from the legislator’s post because they felt that continuing as MLA (is) not good in larger interest of the constituency and the state. So they have resigned,” he said.
 
Asked if the next government will be that of BJP, Gowda said the Governor is the supreme authority as per theconstitutionalmandate.“Ifhe calls us, certainly we are ready to form the government as we are the single largest party. We have got 105 people with us,” he said. GowdadeniedBJPhadanyrole in the resignations when asked if it was part of “Operation Kamala”. “Hundred per cent not. The media has shown the MLAs who went to meet Speaker,. No BJP leader or MLAs were behind them. They voluntarily went to the Speaker and submitted their resignation. So it shows there is no interference by the BJP at any point as far as resignations are concerned,” he said.