Crisis deepens as Another MLA heads to Governor’s House, more resignations may follow

Manglore Today News Network

Bengaluru, Jul 08, 2019 : Karnataka Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy met rebel Congress MLA Ramalinga Reddy today amid the ongoing crisis in the state precipitated by the resignation of 13 Congress-JD(S) MLAs, which has threatened to topple the 13-month-old alliance government, News18 reported.

 

Nine Congress MLAs and three of JD(S) went to the Speaker’s office to put in their papers Saturday and later met Governor Vajubhai Vala at Raj Bhavan. Another Congress MLA, Anand Singh, submitted his resignation on July 1.

Meanwhile, BJP leader Shobha Karandlaje reaches BS Yeddyurappa’s residence.

Independent MLA Nagesh Set to Resign | Independent MLA H Nagesh is on his way to meet Karnataka Governor Vajubhai Vala as he is all set to resign.

Leaders arrive at G Parameshwara’s residence for breakfast meet

Leaders Reach Deputy CM’s Residence | Karnataka Congress legislature party leader Siddharamaiah and Ministers UT Khader, Shivashankara Reddy, Venkataramanappa, Jayamala, MB Patil, Krishna Byre Gowda, Rajshekar Patil, Rajshekar Patil, DK Shivakumar have reached Deputy CM G Parameshwara’s residence for breakfast


AICC General Secretary KC Venugopal expresses confidence that the MLAs will not resign and the coalition government will be able to deal with the crisis.

Congress’ Attempt to Prevent Resignations | Congress leaders, including AICC General Secretary Venugopal who have camped in Mumbai, held a series of meetings yesterday to strategise the plan of action. They also tried to reach out to MLAs who resigned and pacify them, sources said, adding efforts were also made to contact MLAs suspected to be "vulnerable" and who might resign in the days to come.

Adjournment Motion in Lok Sabha | Congress has given an Adjournment Motion notice in Lok Sabha saying the BJP is trying to topple Congress-JDS government in Karnataka.

’All of Us May Resign to Accommodate the MLAs’ | Meanwhile, Deputy Chief Minister G Parameshwara reiterated his call for a meeting with the Congress ministers and said that all the current ministers may resign if that is what it takes to save the government and accommodate the MLAs.

Gowda Prefers Mallikarjun Kharge | Offering a compromise, Gowda reportedly said he can consider backing Mallikarjun Kharge for CM. While Kharge, a prominent Dalit face in the Congress, is said to be open to the idea, Siddaramaiah’s supporters are not likely to be on board.

Siddaramaiah and Gowdas Have a Histroy | The rivalry between Siddaramaiah and Gowdas dated back to 2005, when the former quit the JD(S) after a major public showdown Deve Gowda and Kumaraswamy. Siddaramaiah had then vowed to decimate the JD(S) and joined the Congress.

Siddaramaiah as CM | Gowda is believed to have repeated his allegation in a meeting later with Congress troubleshooter DK Shivakumar who informed him that disgruntled sections want Siddaramaiah to take over the CM’s chair from Gowda’s son HD Kumaraswamy. Shivakumar reportedly went as far as pitching it as the only solution to save the government
 

Gowda-Siddaramaiah Rivalry | The personal rivalry between Siddaramaiah and Gowdas seeme to coming to the fore again with JD(S) chief Deve Gowda publicly accusing the former CM of orchestrating the current crisis in the state. “I know Siddaramaiah is behind the political turmoil in the state. Those who had resigned are his supporters,” the former PM said.

BJP Looking to Stake Claim | BJP state unit chief B S Yeddyurappa said the party was watching the developments and that they were not "sanyasis" to rule out the possibility of forming the government. Ruling out the possibility of any mid-term polls, he said "it has been just 13 months after the assembly election. We will not allow election to happen".

BJP’s Seats in Assembly | BJP has 105 MLAs in the House, where the half-way mark is 113. If the resignations are accepted, the coalition’s tally will reduce to 105. The Speaker also has a vote.

Kumaraswamy Meets Rebel Ramalinga Reddy | Karnataka Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy and rebel Congress MLA Ramalinga Reddy hold meeting at an undisclosed location in Bengaluru.

Deve Gowda Holds Meeting | |Meetings were also held in JD(S) circles, at the residence of party patriarch Deve Gowda yesterday. D K Shivakumar, considered the Congress’ troubleshooter also met Gowda at his home and and discussed the developments.

10 MLAs Camp in Mumbai | Ten out of total 13 MLAs who have resigned are now camping at a hotel in Mumbai. "We are 10 MLAs here, totally 13 MLAs had submitted resignation to Speaker and informed the Governor. All 13 of MLAs who have resigned are together and there is no question of us withdrawing our resignation," one among the MLAs who resigned, S T Somashekar, said in Mumbai.

Nine Congress MLAs and three of JD(S) reached the Vidhan Soudha on Saturday to submit their resignations to the Speaker and later met Governor Vajubhai Vala at Raj Bhavan. Another Congress MLA, Anand Singh, had submitted his resignation on July 1.

Karnataka Crisis Deepens | The Congress-JD(S) government has plunged into a crisis, with 13 MLAs of the alliance submitting their resignations to the Speaker so far, 12 of them on Saturday.

Kumaraswamy Meets Coalition Leaders | Karnataka Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy yesterday went into a huddle with the coalition leaders in a last ditch attempt to save his 13-month-old alliance government, hit by resignations of over a dozen Congress-JD(S) MLAs. Refusing to relent, the disgruntled MLAs camped in Mumbai yesterday making it clear that they will not withdraw.

Early Morning Meet | Amid the ongoing crisis in Karnataka, deputy chief minister G Parameshwara has called for a breakfast meeting at his residence today. Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy, who returned from US yesterday, Siddaramaiah and Dinesh Gundu Rao are likely to be present.

Dissident MLAs from JD(S) and Congress leave Raj Bhavan after meeting with Karnataka Governor Vajuibhai Vala, in Bengaluru on July 6, 2019. (PTI)

A day after the resignation of MLAs rocked the coalition and plunged the state into a political crisis, leaders of both parties held day-long discussions about the next course of action to save the government.

Deputy chief minister G Parameshwara has called a meeting of Congress ministers over breakfast to “stabilise” the government. Speaking to the media, Parameshwara said no leadership change was discussed yet but talks were on with disgruntled MLAs to tell them about “priorities”.

Kumaraswamy, who returned from the US on Sunday, went into a huddle with other leaders even as the disgruntled MLAs camped in Mumbai and refused to take back their resignations. The ruling coalition, which has 118 MLAs in the 224 member assembly, faces the risk of losing its majority if the resignations are accepted.

There were reports of a change of guard as an option to save the government by making veteran Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge the Chief Minister.

Kharge ruled it out, saying "false" and "flimsy" news was being spread through the media just to divide the party. "I don’t know about it. I want this alliance government to continue and go smoothly," he said, adding he would also talk to the MLAs to withdraw their resignations.

BJP state unit chief BS Yeddyurappa said the party was watching the developments and that they were not "sanyasis" to rule out the possibility of forming the government. Ruling out the possibility of any mid-term polls, he said "it has been just 13 months after the assembly election. We will not allow election to happen".

"Let them (Congress-JDS) give good administration. If they can’t, we are there with strength of 105 MLAs...we will not meet the Governor or go to Delhi for now. We are watching the developments," he added.

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. BJP has 105 MLAs in the House, where the half-way mark is 113. If the resignations are accepted, the coalition’s tally will reduce to 105. The Speaker also has a vote