PRAMESH S JAIN
Karnataka crisis: Two more Congress MLAs quit;Mumbai sees high drama as police detain DK Shivakumar,and Ruckus breaks out at Vidhana Soudha in Bengaluru.
Highlights :
* DK Shivakumar braved the heavy rains of Mumbai in an attempt to meet the rebel MLAs at the Powai hotel,despite the MLAs showing no interest in meeting him.Earlier in the day,his booking at the Powai hotel was also cancelled due to some emergency at the hotel.I’ll not go without meeting my friends.I can’t go by you (rebel Karnataka MLAs not ready to meet him), they’ll call me.Their heart will break.I’m in touch already,hearts of both of us are beating,a determined Shivakumar had said.
* Mumbai Police later detained Shivakumar,Mumbai Congress leader Milind Deora and other party leaders from outside the hotel.The leaders were taken to the rest house at the University of Mumbai’s Kalina campus.They were later released,with Deora stating that Shivakumar was being forcibly sent back to Bengaluru.Congress MLC Bhai Jagtap and Shivakumar were escorted to the airport by Mumbai Police.
* Upon reaching Bengaluru,Shivakumar blamed the BJP and state officials of misusing their authority.He told reporters, Mumbai is known for its hospitality.I had booked a room there and was on an official visit to meet my friends and colleagues but the BJP and officials misused their authority, it’s a matter of shame.
* 10 rebel Congress and JD(S) MLAs moved the Supreme Court on Wednesday, claiming that Speaker Ramesh Kumar was deliberately not accepting their resignations,in a move that favoured the HD Kumaraswamy’s government,which is now in minority.
* Karnataka unit of BJP staged protests outside the Vidhan Soudha in Bengaluru, demanding the resignation of Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy, stating that his government had lost majority in the House.
* Azad and other high profile leaders including former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and ex-Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda had joined protestors in central Bengaluru at Minsk square a throw away distance from the Vidhana Soudha where the BJP was holding protests.
* The coalition government protested against BJP for their alleged Horse trading and Poaching of MLAs.
* After concluding their protest they tried to lay seige Raj Bhavan but the police stopped them in between near BSNL office.
* As protests and sloganeering from Congress members continued in the Well of the House, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi said if Rajya Sabha was not allowed to function it will be “inevitable” to extend Parliament session beyond July 26 so that all business can be completed.
* Former Karnataka CM and Congress leader Siddaramaiah blamed the BJP for promoting hooliganism in the state and accused BJP of indulging in horse-trading. He also accused PM Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah for being responsible for the political instability in the state of Karnataka.
* Amid the ongoing political tussle, the police imposed Section 144 (which prohibits the assembly of more than 4 people in an area) at Vidhana Soudha in Bengaluru from July 11-14 .
* Former Karnataka CM and Congress leader Siddaramaiah blamed the BJP for promoting hooliganism in the state and accused BJP of indulging in horse-trading. He also accused PM Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah for being responsible for the political instability in the state of Karnataka.
High Jolt to Coalition government two More Congress MLAs quit :
In a fresh jolt to the wobbly Congress-JDS coalition government in Karnataka,Two more Congress legislators,M.T.B. Nagaraj and D.Sudhakar on Wednesday submitted their resignations to state Assembly Speaker K.R. Ramesh Kumar,taking the number of disgruntled MLAs who have put in their papers to 16.
The two legislators submitted their resignations to the Speaker at his office in the state secretariat.
Karnataka Congress legislators,Housing minister MTB Nagaraj and K Sudhakar, tendered their resignations Wednesday to the Speaker, taking the number of disgruntled MLAs who have quit to 16.
The development comes even as D K Shivakumar, Karnataka’s Water Resources Minister, the Congress’ troubleshooter, was detained and sent packing back to Bengaluru from Mumbai, where he was prevented by police from meeting the rebel MLAs.
The ruling Congress-JDS coalition faces the threat of losing majority in the Assembly if the resignations are accepted as its current tally is 116 in the 224-member House.
Nagaraj and Sudhakar submitted their resignations to Speaker Ramesh Kumar at his chamber in Vidhana Soudha, the State secretariat.
Confirming the resignations,Ramesh Kumar told reporters,Yes, Sudhakar and M T B Nagaraj have resigned.
Soon after submitting his resignation Nagaraj went and met Governor Vajubhai Vala,informing him about his decision.
On the other hand, high drama prevailed when Sudhakar came out of the Speaker’s office after tendering his resignation.
Angry Congress leaders,including social welfare minister,Priyank Kharge and KPCC President,Dinesh Gundu Rao surrounded him,demanding that he withdraw his resignation, but he did not relent.
BJP workers staged a demonstration outside the secretariat,demanding that Sudhakar be allowed to leave and entered into an altercation with congress leaders.
Later,Sudhakar was escorted to the Raj Bhavan with full police protection by Commissioner of Police.
According to sources,Sudhakar was escorted to Raj Bhavan by police after Governor Vajubhai Vala directed police commissioner Alok Kumar to present the MLA before him at the earliest.
After putting in his papers,Nagaraj told reporters that he was fed up with politics and wished to retire from public life.I don’t want any ministerial position or anything. I am fed up with politics,” Nagaraj said.
The two join the list of 14 Congress and JD Secular MLAs who have submitted their letters to resign from the assembly over the last week.
Nagaraj represents Hoskote in the assembly while Sudhakar Chikballapur.
Former chief minister Siddaramaiah too came to the Vidhana Soudha to persuade Sudhakar to withdraw his resignation and had a discussion with him inside the chamber of the minister for large and medium industries K J George.
Just then, BJP MLAs Vishweshwar Hegde Kageri,S R Vishwanath, M.P Renukacharya and V Somanna too reached there and staged a demonstration against the alleged hooliganism of Congress workers.
They demanded that Sudhakar be immediately freed from the clutches of Congress leaders.
Tension prevailed as the BJP and Congress leaders resorted to sloganeering against each other.
Senior police officers,including Bengaluru police commissioner Alok Kumar, along with police personnel,rushed to the Vidhana Soudha to bring the situation under control.As if we recall this is the second time Commissioner of police rushed to Vidhana Soudha to give protection to MLAs as about last eight years ago in the year 2010 the then Shankar Bidari commissioner of police was rushed to vidhana soudha where the former chief minister Siddaramaiah with other seen getting into scuffle with cops they even removed his cap in the scuffle and this has repeated again today where in commissioner was asked to rush to Vidhana Soudha and present the MLA with full protection as the earliest.The same was followed and Dr.Sudhakar MLA was taken from vidhana soudha in full protection.
After meeting the Governor, Sudhakar described the incident at the secretariat as a small friction but condemned the manner in which he was taken for talks,adding his wife and his other family members wereshaken by it.Without naming anyone,he slammed the behaviour of a person who has been a minister and an MLC.The way he behaved should not have happened in democracy and civilised society.People of the country have seen it,I don’t want to talk about it more.There was a way to convince me if they wanted.I’m not a kinder garden student.The action is highly condemnable, he added.
BJP MLA Basavaraj Bommai has alleged that Congress MLA Sudhakar was assaulted by Congress.He said,It’s a black day in the history of Karnataka’s democracy. A ruling party’s MLA (Sudhakar) has been assaulted by his own president, minister and colleagues. They tried to put pressure on him. He as MLA couldn’t work independently, therefore, there is gundaraj in the state.
Police chased away a few media personnel standing outside the secretariat.Some cameramen and media persons were beaten up and their equipment was broken.
When the demonstration was taking place, an altercation broke out inside the secretariat between Honnalli BJP MLA M P Renukacharya and urban development minister U T Khader when the latter reached there to hold talks with Sudhakar.
Alleging that the Congress leaders were not allowing Sudhakar to leave,BJP state president B S Yeddyurappa told reporters,”We all have seen how Sudhakar was pushed and shoved.Nagaraj has met the governor while Sudhakar was not allowed to go out. He has been confined in a room. This is Goondaism he added.
Yeddyurappa also petitioned Vala that the speaker was not expediting the process of accepting the resignation of 16 MLAs who resigned since July 6.
Seeking Valas intervention, Yeddyurappa stated in his letter, Instead of accepting the resignations, I would regret to say, the speaker is allowing the ruling party to continue in power and threatening the resigned MLAs.
Even the ministers of the ruling government are visiting their premises and threatening them for their act (resigning).
Hitting out at the BJP, Siddaramaiah said, Sudhakar is our MLA.
Our leaders were talking to him. What relation BJP has with Sudhakar? He is not a BJP MLA or worker.. As long as his resignation is not accepted, he continues to be the member of the Congress party.As a CLP leader I was talking to him. What made the BJP create a ruckus like that… to do rowdyism? BJP MLAs and workers are rowdies. They have taken law into their hands. I condemn it he said.
As the political crisis in the southern state continued to be played out in Mumbai Wednesday, Congress leader Milind Deora, who was also detained along with Shivakumar, claimed Mumbai police were forcibly deporting” the minister to Bengaluru.
Shivakumar, who came to Mumbai to meet rebel Congress MLAs from Karnataka, was detained along with Deora and former Maharashtra minister Naseem Khan. They were taken to a guest house in Kalina and released after a while.
Congress MLC Bhai Jagtap said Shivakumar was taken to Mumbai airport by Mumbai police.
Protests took centre stage in Bengaluru on Wednesday even as the political crisis in the state spilled over to Mumbai’s Renaissance Hotel and even the Supreme Court in the national capital.
Security was heightened heavy police personnel were deployed in and around Raj Bhavan and Vidhana Soudha Commissioner of Police Alok Kumar was Monitored and Addl CPs as,Umesh Kumar,Murugan,Harishekaran was supervising the area with DCPs as,Dr.Chandra Gupta,Rahul Kumar Sharpode,Shashi kumar,Ramesh Banoth,Jagadeesh with ACPs,PI,and staff of all Zones,with Cobra team were present
As a result of the protests, Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha and Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad along with other Congress leaders were detained by police for protesting outside the Raj Bhavan where BS Yeddyurappa was just about to arrive along with other state BJP leaders.
Azad and other high profile leaders including former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and ex-Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda had joined protestors in central Bengaluru at a stone’s throw away distance from the Vidhana Soudha where the BJP was holding protests.
Speaking at the protest, Deve Gowda exuded confidence about his party holding onto power.In my 60 years in politics,I am pained to say I have never seen such a pathetic state.Yesterday,the Speaker reviewed the resignations,and given three of them the opportunity to appear before him and explain the situation tomorrow.He will also do the same with others.In such a situation,it is wrong to put pressure on the Governor,he told supporters of the Congress and the JD(S) gathered.Gowda was very emphatic in his response when asked if he believes that the BJP offered money to the rebel legislator.They have given,given,given,given given!he exclaimed,adding that making HD Kumaraswamy quit has been Yeddyurappa’s suprabhata as good morning wish since the day the coalition government came into being.The Congress and JDS have often accused the BJP of trying to poach their legislators from time to time as part of a political strategy codenamed as Operation Kamala (Operation Lotus).The BJP, however, insists that the legislators have quit their respective parties on their own accord.said it was high time all opposition parties united against the BJP because the country was under serious threat from the BJP.I feel that the present situation is worse than the Emergency.DK Shivakumar went to the hotel but was denied entry despite having booked a room there.I have not seen anything like this in my 60 years of political life,him as saying before a march taken out by Congress-JDS workers towards Raj Bhavan.All political parties should set aside their differences and come together to save democracy he added.
BJP leaders are rowdies; Modi, Shah behind Karnataka crisis: Siddaramaiah
Meanwhile,Karnataka Congress leader Siddaramaiah declared that party members would stage protests across the state to protest the purchase of legislators.I tell you that our workers will not let you travel in the state. We will create a situation that will prevent you from meeting the people.Siddaramaiah also condemned the rebel legislators for putting the ruling coalition in such a precarious situation.They have gone for money and power.They have sold themselves.I am appealing to all those who have camped in Mumbai,succumbing to the allurement trap laid by BJP, to come back and withdraw your resignation letters.Respect the people’s verdict,or they will teach you a lesson he even alleged on Wednesday alleged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister and BJP president Amit Shah were behind the political crisis in the state.Siddaramaiah’s comment came hours after two more Congress MLAs resigned from the state assembly taking the number of disgruntled legislators who have put in their papers to 16.On Wednesday, Chikballapur MLA K. Sudhakar and Hoskote MLA and Housing Minister M.T.B. Nagaraj handed over their resignation letters to Speaker K.R. Ramesh Kumar.What made BJP people do rowdyism like that? BJP MLAs and workers are rowdies.I condemn it.It is quiet evident that BJP leaders, Amit Shah and Narendra Modi,are behind all this.They are defecting and threatening our MLAs.The former chief minister said as a leader of the Congress Legislature Party, he was trying to convince Sudhakar and claimed that the latter continued to be a member of the Congress party as long as his resignation was not accepted.Sudhakar is not a BJP MLA or BJP worker, just because he has resigned, it doesn’t mean he is a BJP MLA,” Siddaramaiah added.
Karnataka, senior Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad has alleged that the Centre is using Governors to topple opposition governments in states, and raised fingers on the conduct of the present BJP government at the Centre as well as Governors.State after state, opposition Government are being toppled and Government of India is using Governors for this. From Arunachal Pradesh to Karnataka, Governor’s side with defectors and help them in coming out of Congress. We appeal to the nation to rise to the occasion to save this democracy.The entire country is anguished at the way the present BJP government at the national level and Governor at the state level are conducting themselves. The way democracy is being finished in this country,” he said.
Ghulam Nabi Azad and Karnataka Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge have blamed the BJP for the current situation in Karnataka. Azad questioned the conduct of the Governor and Kharge made a fresh appeal to rebel MLAs to not budge to pressures. According to sources, more resignations can be expected on Thursday, with rebel congress leader Ramalinga Reddy’s daughter,Soumya Reddy,also expected to step down.She is the MLA from Bengaluru’s Jayanagar constituency. Khanapur MLA Anjali Nimbalkar and Chikkodi lawmaker Ganesh Hukkeri are also expected to resign.
Meanwhile, Karnataka Congress’s troubleshooter DK Shivakumar, who risked everything for his party and flew out to Mumbai on Wednesday, failed to meet the rebels and woo them back to the party fold.
The Mumbai Police prevented Shivakumar and other leaders from entering a five-star hotel in the city where the rebel MLAs were accommodated. Shivakumar and the others were detained after the dissident lawmakers wrote to the police seeking protection from him and other Karnataka coalition leaders.
Shivakumar was forced to wait outside the hotel for more than six hours and was detained, along with Milind Deora, who recently quit as Mumbai Congress president.
After he was released by the police, Shivakumar said that he had gone to the hotel only to meet “friends”.
“I am forcibly pushed to leave Mumbai by the police and I have no option left. But I still believe my friends will come back and the government will be safe. It’s not about politics, it’s about the democratic values and constitution. Democracy is at the risk and it’s a fresh example for that,” he said.
Later, the All India Congress Committee (AICC) filed a complaint stating that rebel MLAs of the party from Karnataka were illegally confined in the hotel.
“Mumbai Police have received a complaint from the AICC Wednesday of illegal confinement of rebel Karnataka Congress MLAs at a Powai hotel,” the officer said.
Kumaraswamy alleged that manhandling ministers and MLAs” by the police “reinforces the suspicion of the BJP being involved in horse-trading”.
Of the 16 MLAs who have resigned, 13 are from Congress and three from JD(S). The coalition’s total strength is 116 (Congress-78, JD(S)-37 and BSP-1), besides the Speaker.
With the support of the two independents, who Monday resigned from the ministry, 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.
Meanwhile,a meeting of Congress leaders Ghulam Nabi Azad, K.C. Venugopal, Mallikarjun Kharge, G. Parameshwara, Siddaramaiah, Dinesh Gundu Rao, Eshwara Khandre and others is underway following the resignation of two more MLAs on Wednesday.
The ruling Congress-JD(S) coalition faces the threat of losing its majority if the resignations of the rebel MLAs are accepted.
