R Guruprasad
WITH the resignation of 13 BS Yeddyurappa loyalist BJP MLA’s, BJP Government looks like it is in trouble but when it comes to number game it is out of danger.
The total strength of Karnataka Assembly including Speaker and nominated member is 225. With the two vacancies created by the resignation of former CM B.S.Yeddyurappa and Kundapur constituency MLA Haladi Srinivasa Shetty, the Assembly strength after 13 MLA’s resignation is 211. The magic number required to prove majority is 106 and at present the strength of the Government is 108(Including BJP 105 + 1 Independent + 1 nominated + 1 speaker). Congress has 71 members, JD(S) has 26 and there are 6 independents (including BSR Congress of Sriramulu).
The MLA’s who submitted resignations are CM Udasi (Hanagal), Shobha Karandlaje( Yeshwanthpur), Basavaraj Patil Attur( Basavakalyan), Haratal Halappa (Soraba), Nehru Olekar (Haveri), Suresh Gowda (Byadagi), G.Shivanna (Ranibennur), Chikkanagoudar (Kundagol), Sunil Valyapure (Chincholi), B.P.Harish (Harihar), M.Chandrappa( Holalkere) and Thippeswamy (Challakere). Resignation of Katakdhond Vittal Dhondiba (Nagthan, Bijapur District) is not yet accepted due to a spelling mistake in his application. However he has submitted a fresh application and it is likely to be accepted. Including Udasi , Shoba Karndlaje, Nehru Olekar and other former BJP MLA’s officially joined KJP on January 31 in front of the KJP party chief B.S.Yeddyurappa in the KJP office located in Malleshwaram.
Soon after welcoming these leaders, B.S. Yeddyurappa appealed to the Speaker Bopaiah to remain in his office as there are many more BJP MLA’s planning to resign within a day or two. “ I am neither in favor of pulling the Government nor asking any MLA’s to resign. But if they want to tender resignation on their own and join KJP, as a chief of KJP, I welcome them” he said.
To teach a lesson for BSY loyalist MLC’s , BJP has filed a complaint at the office of the Legislative Chairman requesting disqualification of 5 MLC’s BJ Puttaswamy, Bharathi Shetty, Mohan Limbekai, Shivaraj Sajjanar and Mumtaz Ali Khan.
When the high drama of rebel BJP MLA’s resignation episode was going on in the corridors of Vidhana Soudha, the seat of power in Bangalore, on January 29, another equally interesting breaking news emerged from Karnataka Janatha Party (KJP). The founder of KJP Padmanabha Prasanna Kumar told media that he had taken over the party’s control by expelling B.S.Yeddyurappa, by disclosing the letter he had written to the Election Commision in this regard. The act of Prasanna Kumar boomeranged when finally B.S.Yeddyurappa expelled Prasanna Kumar by producing the letter prasanna Kumar had written to him on Decmber 9, 2012 resigning from KJP and accepting B.S. Yeddyurappa taking over the mantle.
In a major development after the resignation crisis, Lingayat seers are trying to patch up the differences between the Chief Minister Jagadish Shettar and B.S. Yeddyurappa to ensure BJP Government to present the Budget. “Yes. Seers of Lingayat mutts want the smooth conduct of Budget Session. They are trying to convince B.S. Yeddyurapa that pulling the Government may harm himself as BJP will use it as a weapon to counter him during the general elections due in few months”, said a BJP leader.
The resignation issue forced the state BJP top leaders to chalk out an action plan. BJP state president K.S.Eshwarppa, MP HN Ananth Kumar and BJP State organising Secretary Santhosh attended the core committee meeting on January 30. According to legal experts, the Governor Hans Raj Bhardwaj can ask the chief minister to prove his majority in the House if he feels that the Government does not enjoy majority. However Governor may think twice before directing the Chief Minister to prove his majority as BJP had proved the majority in the house twice in the past.
As the rumours of few more BSY loyalist BJP MlA’s going to resign went viral, CM Jagadish Shettar himself tried to pacify all the BJP MLA’s by requesting them to co-operate at least till the Budget session gets over. “ There will be no more resignations and I am personally in touch with all the BJP MLA’s” he said. Budget session is scheduled to start on February 4 and BJP may issue whip to all its members and violating the whip will result in disqualification .
