BJP’s ’Operation Lotus’ to topple the state’s coalition government: DK Shivakumar

Mangaloretoday News Network

Bengauru, Ja 14, 2019 : Karnataka Minister and senior Congress leader DK Shivakumar said the BJP’s ’’Operation Lotus’’ to topple the state’s coalition government was for real, alleging that three Congress MLAs were camping in a hotel in Mumbai in the "company of some BJP leaders", NDTV reported.

 

"Horse trading is going on in the state. Three of our MLAs are in Mumbai in a hotel with some BJP MLAs and leaders. We are aware of what has transpired there and how much has been offered to them," he said.

Operation Lotus is a reference to the BJP allegedly luring several opposition MLAs to defect to ensure stability of its then-government headed by BS Yeddyurappa in Karnataka in 2008.

Mr Shivakumar, who had earned the reputation of being a "trouble-shooter" in the Congress for bailing out the party from many crises in the past, accused Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy of being "lenient" towards the BJP.

"Our chief minister is bit lenient towards the BJP. By ’’lenient’’, I mean he is not exposing the facts he knows. All the MLAs have conveyed to the chief minister about the ongoing conspiracies. They have also told Siddaramaiah about it.

"The chief minister is adopting a policy of wait and watch. If I was in his place, I would have exposed it within 24 hours," Mr Shivakumar said.

The minister said former chief minister Siddaramaiah and Congress state president Dinesh Gundu Rao were aware of the development.