Congress welcomes SC verdict on rebel Karnataka MLAs, asks BJP not give them tickets in upcoming bypolls

Bengaluru: Welcoming the Supreme Court decision on the disqualified MLAs , the Congress in Karnataka on Wednesday said the verdict proves that the BJP-led government in the state was “illegal” and sought its dismissal. While KPCC President Dinesh Gundu Rao asked the BJP not to give tickets to the disqualified legislators to contest polls if it has “any morality left,” CLP leader Siddaramaiah said the verdict was a lesson to defectors to whom people would teach a lesson in the 5 December bypolls. “Supreme Court has partially upheld the then Speaker Ramesh Kumar’s decision. I welcome the verdict,” Siddaramaiah said. [caption id=“attachment_5090621” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  File image of Congress leader Siddaramaiah. Getty Images[/caption] Speaking to reporters, he said, the court’s stand was that defecting was “immoral” and “violation of trust of the voter”. “The judgment is a lesson to MLAs, who wanted to resign and join other party according to human fancy or by the influence of other parties- it is not correct is what court has said,” he added. Observing that he welcomes the court judgement in its entirety that includes allowing disqualified to contest polls, Siddaramaiah said people would have to understand that they have been disqualified as they indulged in defection, and the court has not accepted it. “It is a lesson to those who want to cross over to other parties. The court has not accepted it, people will also not accept it and see to that they are defeated in the bypolls, as it happened in Maharashtra and Gujarat,” he added. Responding to a query on filing an appeal against the verdict, Siddaramaiah said, the party would decide on the appeal, but “according to my opinion there was no need for it”. The Supreme Court on Wednesday upheld the disqualification of 17 Congress-JD(S) MLAs by the then Speaker KR Ramesh Kumar but allowed them to contest the 5 December bypolls in the state. The court struck down the portion of the order of then Speaker by which the legislators were disqualified till the end of the 15th Karnataka Assembly in 2023. KPCC President Rao said, the court decision proves that the BJP government in the state was “illegal”. “Supreme Court has upheld the disqualification of all the 17 MLAs who defected from @INCIndia & JDS. It also proves that the Karnataka BJP govt is an illegal govt. @BJP4India had used unconstitutional means to fabricate a majority. It should be immediately dismissed,” Rao tweeted. “I welcome the #SupremeCourt verdict. The hand of BJP in toppling the coalition govt is now clear. The involvement of @BSYBJP & @AmitShah is now proved. If BJP has any morality left, they should not give tickets to these disqualified MLA’s to contest,” he said in another tweet. Among the disqualified MLAs, 14 were from Congress and three were from JD(S).