Karnataka politics news highlights: Congress and its ally JDS are fighting hard to save its government in Karnataka after two ministers and independent MLAs resigned on Monday. Nine Congress MLAs and three of JD(S) had gone 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.
Karnataka Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy returned to Bengaluru from a 10-day US trip on Sunday night and held a series of meetings in a bid to save the 13-month-old coalition government of the Congress-JD(S). Kumaraswamy met leaders of alliance partners as the government was pushed to the brink following the resignation of 13 Congress and JD(S) MLAs who submitted their letters to the Speaker’s office on Saturday, reducing the government’s strength in the Assembly to 105 from 118 in the 224-member Karnataka Legislative Assembly.
The BJP also has 105 MLAs and is the single largest party in the House. The coalition faces the risk of losing its majority if the resignations are accepted. Notably, the resignations of the 13 MLAs are yet to be accepted by the Speaker. However, the Speaker has confirmed that the MLAs have submitted their resignations to his office. He is likely to meet them on Tuesday.
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The rebel Congress-JDS MLAs who are currently putting up in Sofitel Hotel in Mumbai would be shifted to Goa, news agency ANI reported.
Amid the ongoing crisis in Karnataka, Congress leaders Mallikarjun Kharge, Siddaramaiah, deputy chief minister G Parameshwara will meet at 7pm today in Bengaluru.
BJP leader Ram Madhav Monday dismissed charges that his party engineered defections in Karnataka leaving the Congress-JD(S) government struggling to survive, but said they are keeping a watch on the developments in the southern state.
Madhav took a jibe on the spate of resignation within the Congress as well, wondering as to who they are sending their resignation letters to as Rahul Gandhi has already stepped down as party president.
Youth Congress leaders conducted a demonstration on Monday outside the Sofitel Hotel in Mumbai. The rebel Karnataka MLAs are staying at Sofitel Hotel.
BS Yeddyurappa: Now we are having BJP legislative party meeting and we are going to take appropriate decision there. Tomorrow all our workers will protest because Congress-JD(S) lost the majority so CM should resign immediately. That is the people's aspiration also. When they lost confidence, they have no moral right to conduct the business. That is why we are demanding that he (CM) resign immediately.
Former Karnataka chief minister and BJP leader Yeddyurappa called for a legislative party meeting in Bengaluru. The BJP leaders are arriving for the party meet in Bengaluru.
All ministers from Congress and JD(S) have resigned and Cabinet reshuffle is expected soon. Reports suggest that the ministers were made to resign to make way for disgruntled MLAs. The decision was taken at a meeting of Congress ministers at Deputy Chief Minister G Parameshwara's residence. Former Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah and AICC general secretary KC Venugopal were also present there at the meeting.
Karnataka Independent MLA Nagesh has reached Sofitel hotel in Mumbai where other rebels MLAs are staying after submitting their resignations. Nagesh resigned as a minister earlier today.
Karnataka crisis: Congress MLA Soumya Reddy, daughter of Ramalinga Reddy, will come to Bengaluru tomorrow and attend the Congress Legislative Party (CLP) meeting.
Karnataka CMO: All JD(S) ministers have resigned from their posts. Cabinet will be restructured soon. earlier today, 21 ministers from Congress had resigned.
Karnataka Minister DK Shivakumar claims that independent MLA Nagesh who resigned as the minister called him and said that he has been hijacked by Yeddyurappas' PA and BJP. 'By the time I reached airport the flight had left,' he told reporters.
Karnataka CM Kumaraswamy said that the issue will be resolved and the government will run smoothly. His statement comes just an hour after Congress ministers submitted their resignations to enable cabinet reshuffle that is likely to take place to accommodate rebel legislators.
Karnataka Transport Minister and JD(S) leader DC Thammanna has confirmed that no direction has been given by party leaders to resign. He said: "If they (party leaders) suggest, I will definitely resign." Earlier today, all 21 Congress ministers submitted their resignation to enable cabinet reshuffle.
Meanwhile, the lone BSP MLA N Mahesh has said that the party will only extend an outside support to the coalition. This means, BSP MLA will not join the Kumaraswamy Cabinet even if a ministerial berth is offered to him. N Mahesh is an MLA from Kollegal.
In ajibe at the Congress, Rajnath Singh said that the BJP is committed to maintaining dignity of parliamentary democracy. He said that the trend of submitting resignations was started by Rahul Gandhi in Congress. It wasn't started by us. "He (Rahul) himself asked people to submit resignations,even senior leaders are submitting their resignations," he said.
Karnataka Congress Legislature Party leader Siddaramaiah confirmed that all 21 Karnataka Congress ministers have resigned voluntarily.
BJP leader and Union minister Rajnath Singh has denied BJP's role in the Congress-JD(S) MLAs decision to quit the government. "Our party has nothing to do with what is happening in Karnataka. Our party has never indulged in horse-trading," he said.
The Congress party raised the Karnataka issue on the floor of the Lok Sabha. Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhary alleged that the BJP was behind stoking the crisis.
Karnataka Minister Zameer Ahmed Khan said that by today evening, at least 6-7 MLAs of the 10 MLAs who are in the BJP camp are going to come back.
Independent MLA Nagesh has left for Mumbai from Bengaluru. He is likely to meet the rebel Congress MLAs who are campin in the city since Saturday.
All Congress minister submit their resignation to party's state unit chief. It is likely that the rebel MLAs will be inducted into the new Cabinet. meanwhile, the BJP is keeping a close eye on the situation and waiting for the Speaker's decision on the resignations of the rebel ruling alliance MLAs before making any formal move to form an alternative government.
The BJP has welcome Independent MLA Nagesh decision to resign as minister and withdraw support. BJP leader Shobha Karandlaje said, "We will accept anybody into our party who is from non-political dispensation. We are not in touch with any rebels of the Congress and JD(S), as long as they are with their parties."
BJP leader Shobha Karandlaje met party's state unit chief BS Yeddyurappa at his residence. Speaking to reporters outside BSY's residence in Bengaluru, she said, "Karnataka CM HD Kumaraswamy should resign immediately. He has lost the majority. Congress MLAs have already resigned. He should make way for another government."
Karnataka Independent MLA Nagesh on Monday resigned as a minister. He submitted his resignation to Governor Vajubhai Vala.
BJP leader R Ashok slammed the Congress for alleging that the saffron party is using Governor office politically' "When Congress was ruling at the Centre, they were using the Governor’s office for their party. BJP has no culture of using Governor’s office," he said.
Renukacharya, BJP MP said that the Congress-JD(S) government was bound to collapse. "The party (Congress) which tore up resignation of some of the MLAs, is now questioning the prerogative of the Governor. They are in delusion, they are still not able to understand that they can’t salvage the situation," he said.
Independent MLA Nagesh has written a letter to Governor that he has withdrawn his support from the government headed by HD Kumaraswamy. 'I would further by this letter unequivocally state I would extend my support to the BJP government if called for by your good self,' he said.
Congress MLA R Roshan Baig from Shivajinagar constituency, who has been up in arms against senior party leaders and was suspended for anti-party activities, said that he has not yet decided on resignation. "I an busy with Hajj related preparations and have no plans as of now to leave the party," he said.
Ten Congress MLAs who resigned last week flew to Mumbai by a chartered aircraft from Bengaluru on Saturday evening, ostensibly to avoid the party leaders from meeting or contacting them. They are staying in a hotel in central Mumbai.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) legislature party meeting will take place on Monday evening in Bengaluru. The meeting comes in the backdrop of 13 ruling Congress-JD(S) MLAs resignation, reducting the strength of the government to 105 from 118 in 224 members Karnataka Legislative Assembly.
Karnataka Minister and Independent MLA Nagesh resigns from his minister post. TV reports say that Nagesh has extended support to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
Congress leader DK Suresh said that the BJP leaders are behind the political crisis in the Kanataka. "BJP national leaders are behind this. BJP people don’t want this govt or any opposition party to rule in the state or in the country. They are destroying the democracy," he said.
Congress leader in the Lok Sabha Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury said that the party will raise the Karnataka issue in Parliament today. "But we won't reveal our weapons. But it is clear that BJP is a poacher party," he said.
Meanwhile, BJP leader Shobha Karandlaje reaches BS Yeddyurappa’s residence, news agency ANI reported. The BJP has denied any role in the resignation of the Congress and JD(S) MLAs. The saffron party, owever, has said that it will make a formal move to form an alternative government only after Speaker decides on the resignation of the Congress and JD(S) MLAs.
Senior Congress leader DK Suresh informed that all the Karnataka Congress ministers will resign. This means, the Cabinet will be reconstituted and the rebel MLAs could be given a berth.
Senior Congress leader G Puttaswamy appealed to the leaders to resolve the crisis at the earliest. He said that instead of resigning along with some rebel JD(S) MLAs, they should have first discussed their grievances with the party leaders rather than triggering a crisis and causing uncertainty over the survival of the coalition government.
Congress MLA Rahim Mahmood Khan said he did not wish to align with the rebel group but the situation has forced him to take a decision. Khan said that he will attend the meeting at Parameshwara's residence. "If my problems aren't addressed, I will be forced to take a decision," he said.
The Kumaraswamy government is likely to suffer another jolt with another Congress MLA Monday threatening to resign. Minister and Bidar North MLA Rahim Mahmood Khan said he has informed senior Congress functionaries about his grievances and will take a decision after meeting them at Deputy Chief Minister G Parameshwara's residence. "My department got only Rs 15 crore budget this year and it has just now been released. Of this amount, Rs 13 crore will be paid to clear old bills.How can I carry out various projects across Karnataka with the remaining Rs two crore?" the sports and youth empowerment minister said.
Ten Congress and three JD(S) MLAs have submitted their resignations so far, expressing lack of confidence in the coalition government's leadership. The nine Congress rebel MLAs who resigned on Saturday are Pratapgauda Patil (Maski), BC Patil (Hirekerur), Ramesh Jarkiholi (Gokak), Shivram Hebbar (Yellapur) Mahesh Kumatahalli (Athani), Ramalinga Reddy (BTM Layout), ST Somashekar (Yeshvantpur), Munirathna (RR Nagar) and SN Subba Reddy (KGF in Kolar). Congress MLA Ananda Singh (Vijayanagara) had resigned on July 1.
The three rebel JD(S) MLAs who have resigned are AH Vishwanath (Hunsur), N Narayana Gowda (KR Pete) and Gopalaiah (Mahalakshmi Layout).
About 200 cadres and supporters of the Karnataka Congress on Sunday protested against the resignations of the party's 10 rebel MLAs and urged them to withdraw them. Holding placards, party flags and banners in Kannada and English, the cadres from Bengaluru and adjacent districts staged a sit-in demonstration against the rebels for plunging the party into a crisis by resigning from their respective Assembly segments.