His statement comes a day after two Congress leaders – Ramesh Jarkiholi and Sudhakar met BJP’s SM Krishna at his residence, fuelling the speculation over the longevity of the ruling Congress-JD(S) coalition.
None of our K’taka MLAs will switch to BJP: Congress | Photo Credit: ANI
Bengaluru: Karnataka minister and Congress leader MB Patil on Monday ruled out any tension in the Congress-JD(S) coalition government and said that none of his party’s MLAs will switch to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
“None of our MLAs will switch to BJP. They (BJP) have tried it (to topple government) in the past, they will also try it in the future but this government will complete its full term,” Patil said.
His statement comes a day after two Congress leaders- Ramesh Jarkiholi and Sudhakar met BJP’s SM Krishna at his residence, fuelling the speculation over the longevity of the ruling Congress-JD(S) coalition in Karnataka.
However, Jarkiholi, who is Congress MLA from Gokak had said that it was not a political meeting and that he had come to meet Krishna to wish him for BJP’s victory in Lok Sabha elections.
In the recently-held Lok Sabha elections, the BJP bagged 25 out of 28 seats in Karnataka while the Congress-JD(S) combine won two seats.
Following this humiliating defeat, some of the rebel Congress MLAs are reportedly in touch with the BJP and are also planning to poach Congress and JD(S) MLAs to topple the state government.
The BJP, which is the single largest party in the Karnataka Assembly with 105 seats, needs only eight MLAs to reach the majority mark of 113 in a 224-member Assembly.
Earlier, Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy brushed aside the reported trouble in the coalition government and said that the alliance was intact and would stay for long.
Deputy Chief Minister G Parameshwara also asserted that they have the support of all MLAs and that there is no threat to the state government.
“We have all decided to support and continue the coalition government. All our MLAs are with us. There is no threat to the government. Siddaramaiah has also spoken to senior leaders,” he had said.
Former Karnataka chief minister and senior Congress leader Siddaramaiah had also said that there was no threat to the coalition government in the state.
Agencies
