BS Yeddyurappa asks HD Kumaraswamy to resign immediately or seek trust vote on Monday
“Sixteen MLAs of JD(S) and Congress have resigned, and also two independents have withdrawn support to the government, and extended it to the BJP,” BS Yeddyurappa, Karnataka BJP chief said while he was speaking to reporters.
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FollowBengaluru: The state BJP on Sunday demanded that the chief minister HD Kumaraswamy immediately resign or seek a trust vote on Monday itself. The opposition party asserted that the coalition government in Karnataka had lost majority.
State BJP chief BS Yeddyurappa said, "I demand that the chief minister, if he is honest and cares for the democratic system, should immediately resign or move a motion seeking for trust vote on Monday."
16 MLAs of JD(S) and Congress have resigned, and also two independents have withdrawn support to the government, and extended it to the BJP, he said while he was speaking to reporters.
"You (Kumaraswamy) don't have majority. So let them (coalition) ask for confidence vote or resign immediately. Tomorrow in the Business Advisory Committee meeting I will advise Kumaraswamy on the same and discuss," he added.
In a surprise move amid the existential crisis faced by his government, Kumaraswamy had on Friday announced in the state Assembly that he has voluntarily decided to seek a trust vote to end the "confusion" caused by resignations of rebel MLAs and requested the Speaker to fix time for the same.
According to sources, at the Business Advisory Committee meeting on Friday, Kumaraswamy had proposed that the trust vote be held on Wednesday.
However, no decision was taken as the principal opposition BJP did not attend the meeting.
Yeddyurappa's statement came, even as efforts by coalition leaders to mollify rebel Congress MLA MTB Nagaraj seemed to have failed as he has flown to Mumbai.
Leaders of the Congress-JD(S) coalition had held negotiations with Nagaraj on Saturday in a bid to woo him back to save the HD Kumaraswamy-led government that is on the brink of collapse.
Pointing out that the chief minister has said that without the support of MLAs he will not continue and will seek a trust vote, Yeddyurappa said, despite all their efforts Congress rebel MLAs MTB Nagaraj and K Sudhakar have said they will not withdraw their resignations and have gone (to Mumbai).
He also stated that 15 MLAs have approached the Supreme Court and the court may also come to a decision on Tuesday.
Five rebel Congress MLAs had moved the Supreme Court on Saturday against the Assembly Speaker KR Ramesh Kumar not accepting their resignations.
MLAs Anand Singh, K Sudhakar, N Nagaraj (MTB), Munirathna and Roshan Baig have sought impleadment in the already pending application filed by the 10 other rebel MLAs on which hearing is scheduled for Tuesday.
The coalition government, which has been shaky since it came into being last year after a post-poll arrangement in the wake of a hung verdict, is facing a serious crisis now with 16 MLAs--13 of the Congress and three of the JD(S)-- resigning their Assembly membership.
Besides, two Independent legislators, who were made ministers recently to provide stability to the government, have quit the ministry and withdrawn support.
The ruling coalition's total strength is 116 (Congress-78, JD(S)-37 and BSP-1), besides the Speaker.
With the support of the two independents, the BJP has 107 MLAs in the 224-member house, where the half-way mark is 113.
If the resignations of the 16 MLAs are accepted, the coalition's tally will be reduced to 100.
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