High Drama as 13 BJP MLAs make vain bid to submit resignation
Bangalore, Jan 23 (Agencies): In a high voltage drama at the Assembly Speaker's office, 13 ruling BJP MLAs, loyal to former party strongman B S Yeddyurappa, today made a vain bid to submit their resignation from assembly membership insisting that the government had been reduced to a minority.
The legislators led by Public Works Minister C M Udasi and Power Minister Shobha Karandlaje, who resigned earlier in the day today, reached Speaker K G Bopaiah's office in Vidhan Soudha, the state secretariat, with their hand written resignation letters.
However, neither Bopaiah, who was not in station, nor the Assembly Legislature Secretary Omprakash were present when the MLAs arrived.
After waiting for about an hour, the agitated MLAs insisted that some official of assembly secretariat either receive their resignation letters or give an acknowledgement that they are not empowered to receive them.
Udasi insisted on an acknowledgement, but Joint Secretary Jayatheertha Galali said, "As Joint Secretary I can't accept it. Please come and submit resignations when Speaker comes to office".
Enraged over the development, former chief minister and Karnataka Janata Party supremo Yeddyurappa rushed into the Vidhana Soudha, hit out at the speaker's absence and also chief minister Jagadish Shettar.
"Jagadish Shettar government has been reduced to a minority. He has no moral right to continue in office. The chief minister should call off his tour, return to the city and resign forthwith", Yeddyurappa demanded.
Yeddyurappa also took a dig at Bopaiah, who, he said, had been alerted yesterday about the resignation of MLAs, but has left on a tour.
"It is a shameful government.Shettar should meet the Governor and tender resignation of his government", he said.
"We will tell the Governor H R Bhardwaj that this government cannot continue in office as it has been reduced to a minority," he said.
The MLAs who are ready to resign are C M Udasi, Nehru Olekar, Thippeswamy, B P Harish, H Halappa, Suresh Gowda Patil, Shobha Karandlaje, S I Chikkangoudar, Suresh, G Shivanna, Chandrappa, V S Patil and Basavaraj Patil Attur.
Their decision brings down the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party's strength in the 225-member assembly to 105, including the speaker. The BJP has the support of one independent, who is a cabinet minister -- taking its effective strength to 106.
The combined opposition strength is 97 with the Congress having 71 legislators and Janata Dal-Secular (JD-S) 26.
There are six other independents and one nominated member, while two seats are vacant.
Udasi claimed that another four or five legislators are ready to quit.
If more than 20 BJP legislators quit the assembly then the survival of the Jagadish Shettar ministry will depend on the ruling party's ability to muster the support of independents.
The BJP can also hope that the opposition would walk out of the assembly just ahead of the trust vote, which Shettar is certain to be asked to take by Governor H.R. Bhardwaj.
Earlier report
Shobha Karandlaje, Udasi quit cabinet, more may follow suit
Bangalore, Jan 23 (Agencies): Public Works Minister C.M. Udasi and Energy Minister Shobha Karandlaje, loyalists of former BJP leader B.S. Yeddyurappa, Wednesday quit Karnataka cabinet as part of rebels' plan to prevent Chief Minister Jagadish Shettar from presenting budget Feb 8.
Shettar told reporters that he has received the resignation letters of Udasi and Karandlaje and will consider it.
Soon after receiving the two letters, Shettar left for a two-day tour of northern Karnataka.
Udasi told reporters that he, Karandlaje and over 10 other Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) assembly members will quit the assembly also later Wednesday.
He said all of them will join the Karnataka Janata Party headed by Yeddyurappa to strengthen it ahead of the assembly elections due in May.
Official sources said the resignation letters have been sent to Governor H R Bhardwaj for acceptance.
Udasi said they have been hurt by the attitude of Shettar towards MLAs and Ministers supporting Yeddyurappa, adding, the time has come to build KJP.
"Though we had indicated that we are going to submit resignation, we are getting information that the Speaker (K G Bopaiah) is out of station", Udasi said, adding, he, Shobha and a few MLAs would submit their resignation from Assembly membership to the Speaker's office later today.
Haveri MLA Nehru Olekar, a staunch Yeddyurappa loyalist, termed the "foreign tour" of the Speaker as political "strategy" of the BJP to scuttle the plans of Yeddyurappa-supporting MLAs and Ministers (who wanted to resign).
He said in case the Speaker's office hesitates to accept the resignation letters, they would meet Bhardwaj.
Sources said that several Yeddyurappa loyalists have gathered in Udasi's residence, including MLAs Halappa, G Shivanna and Nehru Olekar. Halappa told mediapersons that he was ready to submit his resignation any time Yeddyurappa asks him to.
KJP leader M D Laxminarayana told reporters that a meeting will be held at Yeddyurappa's residence in the afternoon. "More ministers and MLAs will resign in the coming days," he said. He also termed speaker K G Bopaiah's sudden trip to Nepal as a 'conspiracy' by BJP to stall the resignation process.
Reports stated that the two ministers along with 13 MLAs, all armed with their resignation letters, are waiting at the speaker's office.
Yeddyurappa, BJP's first chief minister in the state, quit the party and the assembly Nov 30 to lead KJP as he was not made state BJP chief. He was forced out of chief minister's post in July 2011 over mining bribery charges.
Shettar, who became chief minister in July last year to head BJP's third government in over four years, also holds the finance portfolio.
He is scheduled to present the 2013-14 budget Feb 8, for which the legislature session has been convened from Feb 4 to Feb 13.
With PTI Inputs