From Special Correspondent
Daijiworld Media Network
Bengaluru, Jan 14: Even as three Congress MLAs are holed up in Mumbai probably as part of the opposition BJP’s 'operation lotus' to destabilise the JD(S)-Congress coalition government, the ruling Congress party in the State has cautioned all its MLAs to be alert and advised them not to fall prey BJP’s tactics ofdestabilising the H D Kumaraswamy government.
In the wake of the BJP’s attempts to poach the party’s dissident legislators, former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, Deputy Chief Minister G Parameshwara and a dozen of Ministers held a meeting at a private hotel on Monday and alleged that the Opposition party was indulging in horse-trading to destabilise the government.
Former chief minister and BJP leader BS Yeddyurappa on Monday rubbished reports that Congress MLAs were in touch with the saffron party to break them away from the coalition.
"There is no truth to all these rumours of three Congress MLAs in touch with BJP. This is between the Congress and the Janata Dal Secular. We are not in touch with any of their MLAs. We are only focused on keeping our MLAs energised," he said.
Meanwhile, party’s trouble shooter and Water Resources Minister D K Shivakumar, who played a key role in keeping the legislators together after the fractured mandate in the Assembly polls last year, has been asked to go to Mumbai on Tuesday for holding talks with three MLAs - two former Ministers Ramesh Jarkiholi and R Shanker, who were dropped during the recent Cabinet reshuffle, and B Nagendra, who quit and joined the BJP on the eve of polls.
Speaking to presspersons, Siddaramaiah said no MLA from the Congress would quit and support the BJP. The BJP has been making futile attempts to topple the government by luring Congress MLAs, but the legislators will not fall prey to its “dirty tactics."
Shivakumar, who is visiting Mumbai for a conference on irrigation, is expected to meet the three dissident legislators, sources in the Congress said.
The Congress was also worried a lot as its three other MLAs - Anand Singh, Umesh Jadhav and B C Patil - were reportedly not in touch with the party, sources said.
Chief Minister Kumaraswamy claimed all three MLAs were in touch with him.
“All of them (Congress MLAs) are continuously in contact with me. They went to Mumbai after informing me. My government is not under any threat,’’ he asserted.
Deputy Chief Minister Dr G. Parameshwara of the Congress said “BJP leaders are fixing dates on the fall of this government. But it will not happen. Some of our MLAs might have gone to temples, holiday, family outings, we don’t know. Nobody said that they are going to join BJP and destabilise the government. All our MLAs in the party.”