Mostly today will be the end of Cong-JDS govt's misrule: Yeddyurappa

Agencies
July 19, 2019

Bengaluru, Jul 19: With the Karnataka Governor asking Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy to prove majority in the Assembly by Friday afternoon, state BJP chief B S Yeddyurappa predicted the end of the coalition government and said his party will decide on the future course of action after consulting the national leadership.

Governor Vajubhai Vala had asked the Chief Minister to prove his majority in the Assembly before 1.30 pm on Friday.

"Mostly today will be the end of Congress-JDS government's misrule... the Chief Minister will make his farewell speech today, we will patiently hear it," Yeddyurappa told reporters here.

"Depending on the outcome of the proceedings in the House today, we will discuss with our national president Amit Shah and decide on the future course of action," he added.

This Friday will mark a good day for the BJP in Karnataka, Yeddyurappa said adding "I'm confident that with God's grace, everything will be good."

Yeddyurappa, who is Leader of the Opposition, along with the party MLAs stay put in the Assembly last night, protesting the delay in the trust vote.

Accusing the ruling coalition and the Assembly Speaker of trying to delay the trust vote despite fixing a time, the BJP leader said, "They tried to instigate us on Thursday but we remained silent, we will continue to do the same thing on Friday also."

A new political showdown loomed in Karnataka as the governor Thursday night set a timeline and asked Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy to prove his majority before 1.30 pm Friday, hours after a trust vote could not take place with the Speaker adjourning the day's proceedings in the assembly.

Shortly after the Assembly rocked by bedlam was adjourned on Thursday, Vala had shot off a letter to Kumaraswamy, saying the resignation of 15 rulings combine MLAs and withdrawal of support by two independents "prima facie" indicated he has lost the confidence of the House.

The trial of strength is taking place after the Supreme Court on Wednesday ruled that the 15 rebel Congress-JDS MLAs "ought not" to be compelled to participate in the proceedings of the ongoing session of the state Assembly.

As many as 16 MLAs -- 13 from Congress and three from JDS -- had resigned, while independent MLAs R Shankar and H Nagesh have withdrawn their support to the government, putting it on the edge.

Congress member Ramalinga Reddy retracted, saying he would support the government.

The ruling combine's strength is 117-- Congress 78, JD(S) 37, BSP 1, and nominated 1, besides the Speaker.

With the support of the two independents, the opposition BJP has 107 MLAs in the 225-member House, including the nominated MLA and Speaker.

If the resignations of 15 MLAs (12 from Congress, 3 from JDS) are accepted, the ruling coalition's tally will plummet to 101, (excluding the Speaker) reducing the government to a minority.

This is the third motion on trust vote after the 2018 assembly polls yielded a fractured mandate with the BJP emerging as the single largest party with 104 seats but failing to mobilise numbers.

Yeddyurappa had resigned as CM after being in office for three days before facing the trust vote in May last year. Kumaraswamy who succeeded him had won the trust vote after forming the coalition government.

Adding to the worries of the ruling coalition, another Congress MLA Shreemant Patil was not seen in the House on Thursday, in the midst of reports he has been admitted in a Mumbai hospital.

BSP MLA Mahesh, on whose support the coalition was counting, also did not show up, amid reports he was keeping away as he has not received any directions from the party leader Mayawati on the stand to be taken on the trust vote.

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News Network
October 1,2024

siddu.jpg

Mysuru: The Mysuru land authority at the centre of a financial and political storm - involving Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and alleged losses of ₹ 45 crore to the state - has received an offer of restitution from his wife, the urban development body's Commissioner, AN Raghunandan said.

"I am in possession of a letter written by Siddaramaiah's wife regarding her intention to return 14 plots (of land). The Chief Minister's son, Yatindra Siddaramaiah, came to our office and delivered the letter. We will take legal advice for the next step..." he told reporters in Mysuru.

Mr Raghunandan also confirmed anti-corruption officials from the city's Lokayukta branch had written seeking cooperation in its inquiry into the charges against the Chief Minister.

He said the Mysuru Urban Development Authority, or MUDA, "will cooperate with the investigation".

The Enforcement Directorate, however, have not reached out as yet, Mr Raghunandan said. The ED, a federal agency, has filed a money laundering case against Siddaramaiah.

There have also been calls for the CBI, another federal agency, to investigate charges against the Chief Minister, but that appears unlikely now given the Karnataka government has withdrawn general consent for its operations in the state. Law Minister HK Patil made the announcement last week.

He ruled out any link with demands for the Chief Minister to be investigated by the CBI, which reports to the BJP-led central government and the ruling Congress and other opposition parties have claimed is being used by that party to target rival leaders, particularly before elections.

On Monday - three days after the Lokayukta filed a case against the Chief Minister, and hours after the ED launched its probe- Siddaramaiah's wife said she had planned to give up the land earlier but was advised against it the allegations against her husband are "politically motivated".

But now, she said, she had made up her mind as "no house, plot, or wealth is more important than my husband's honor, dignity, and peace of mind". She also said the decision was hers alone; "... I am not aware of my husband's opinion on this matter, nor do I concern myself with what my son thinks".

And, in a comment seen as a calculated swipe at the opposition BJP, which is leading calls for the Chief Minister's resignation, his wife also made an emotional appeal to "all political parties and the media" to "please not drag women of political families into the controversy to settle political scores".

Investigative action against the Chief Minister follows the Karnataka High Court quashing a challenge to Governor Thawar Chand Gehlot's order sanctioning Siddaramaiah's prosecution.

Subsequently a trial court ordered framing of charges and directed the Lokayukta to complete the investigation within three months. The ED case was filed based on the Lokayukta FIR.

Siddaramaiah faces an inquiry into claims Parvathi was allotted 14 plots of land in an upmarket Mysuru area as compensation for land elsewhere - holding a far lower value - taken for infrastructure projects.

The Chief Minister has denied all charges and refused calls to resign.

He has been backed by the Congress and his deputy, DK Shivakumar, who is also the state unit boss, and also by members of his cabinet, including IT Minister Priyank Kharge. However, some within the Congress also want him to quit, such as former Assembly Speaker KB Koliwad.

"I will fight. I am not afraid of anything. We are ready to face the investigation. I will fight this legally," he said last week after the High Court had quashed his challenge to the Governor's sanction.

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