Karnataka political crisis LIVE updates: Modi is equal to 'mischievously orchestrating defections in India,' says Congress

Ten MLAs arrive in Mumbai

According to India Today, ten of the MLAs who had resigned from Karnataka Assembly arrived in Mumbai.

Resort politics returned to haunt the Congress-JDS coalition government in Karnataka with ten MLAs, who submitted their resignation, leaving for Mumbai on Saturday.

These MLAs are likely to stay in a Hotel there, sources close to them said.

They left by a chartered flight, they said.

I have faith MLAs who want to leave Congress will stay with us: Mallikarjun Kharge

Mallikarjun Kharge: Many of the MLAs who want to leave Congress have been associated with the party for a long time. I've faith that they'll stay with us & support the party. I'm going to Bengaluru. I'll make further comments after looking at the ground situation there.#Karnataka pic.twitter.com/2EgSY8gC0Y

— ANI (@ANI) July 6, 2019

It’s a new chapter by Amit Shah: RJD

RJD Rajya Sabha leader Manoj Jha called the Karnataka political crisis a ’new chapter’ being written by Amit Shah. He said, “Amit Shah is writing a new chapter in this country. This chapter is: where BJP wins elections, they form government. The states where they lose elections, they certainly form government.”

“The undemocratic measures and tactics of BJP must be called out without any if’s and but’s,” added Jha.

Input by Rohin Kumar/101 Reporters

BJP should respect democratic institutions: Javed Beigh

Former PDP MLA from Baramulla, Javed Beigh, asked BJP to respect democratic institutions. “The huge mandate bestowed over BJP needs to come with responsibility and accountability. They have resorted to delay assembly elections in J&K. They are trying to dismantle the Congress-JD(S) government now in Karnataka. In this case, the best practice would be to dissolve the government and call for bypolls,” said Beigh.

Beigh is a rebel PDP leader and has often spoken against PDP leadership.

Input by Rohin Kumar/ 101 Reporters

New symbol of horse-trading politics has emerged: Congress

Randeep Surjewala, Congress: A new symbol of horse trading politics has emerged in the country, MODI - Mischievously Orchestrated Defections in India. pic.twitter.com/JqzLi9tFf6

— ANI (@ANI) July 6, 2019

Modi is equal to ‘mischievously orchestrating defections in India’: Congress

“Unfortunately, BJP cannot tolerate a government in Karnataka which has been elected by the people,” said Congress spokesperson Randeep Surjewala. “Using power and money, Narendra Modi is orchestrating defections in India. Modi is equal to mischievously orchestrating defections in India.”

“You cannot play with democracy. This is murder of democracy,” he said. “Modiji and BJP need to be aware that the Karnataka government, which is a joint government with complete majority, is being pulled down by defections,” he added.

“Constitution is being trampled in Karnataka,” he said.

‘It’s shocking’

Ittehad Party president Engineer Sheikh Abdul Rashid, from Jammu and Kashmir, expressed shock over the Karnataka crisis. “The Kashmir governor dissolved the Assembly without calling for a floor test. Now the same thing is being repeated in a different manner. Intentions seem to be same. If MLAs are resigning, the governor should invite the largest party for a floor test. The governor should not be seen favoring BJP,” said Rashid.

Input by Rohin Kumar/ 101 Reporters

BJP in wait and watch mode: party sources

According to BJP sources in New Delhi, central leadership is keeping a close eye on the happenings in Karnataka. Sources said BS Yeddyurappa is taking care of the political equations. 

Input by Ashish Mani Tiwari/101 Reporters

Congress fails to pacify rebel MLAs

The Congress assigned three senior leaders, Eshwar Khandre, DK Shivakumar and KJ George, to pacify the rebel MLAs and convince them to withdraw their resignations. Khandre and Shivakumar went to the Jayanagar residence of Ramalinga Reddy, while KJ George went to the HAL Airport lounge to meet the other MLAs. However, the three leaders were unable to pacify the MLAs.

Input by M Raghuram/101Reporters

Rebel MLAs to be taken to Goa or Chennai: Source

A Congress party source said that even if it is not another round of “Operation Lotus”, Dr Ashwathnarayan, BJP MLA from Malleshwaram, has been assigned the job of flocking the rebel Congress and JD(S) MLAs and taking them to an undisclosed location.

As heavy rains are predicted in Mumbai, the source said legislators may be taken to Goa or Chennai.

Input by M Raghuram/101Reporters

Reddy’s resignation sends alarm bells ringing

Ramalinga Reddy’s resignation sent alarm bells ringing in the party high command. Reddy belongs to a powerful community in Bengaluru. He is a seven-time MLA from Bengaluru. He won four times from Jayanagar and three times from BTM constituency. After the delimitation in 2008, he became the MLA of BTM. His daughter Sowmya Reddy is now the MLA of Jayanagar.

Reddy had been a loyal party leader of the Congress and has remained undefeated in his 40-year political career. There have been murmurs in political circles that he had been sidelined in the coalition government. This has led to disappointed Reddy followers deserting the Congress party en masse after the coalition government came into power.

Input by M Raghuram/101Reporters

‘Coalition will not collapse’

Senior Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge, speaking from  New Delhi, said the JD(S)-Congress coalition government in Karnataka will not collapse.

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Input by Ashish Mani Tiwari/101 Reporters

Bangarapet MLA refutes reports of resignation

Bangarapet MLA KM Narayanaswamy has refuted reports that he has resigned and blamed the media. Narayanaswamy said some channels are mentioning his name, but that he never stated he would resign from the legislature.

He added that there is no threat to the government as only four or five legislators have resigned as opposed to the numbers being aired by some news channels.

He further said legislators Bairathi Basavaraju and ST Somashekar would return after meeting AICC general secretary KC Venugopal this evening.

Input by Ranganath/101Reporters

Congress ready for Karnataka bypolls: Sources

According to Congress party sources, while DK Shivakumar is dealing with MLAs in Karnataka, several senior leaders in New Delhi have started planning for bypolls in Karnataka.

Input by Ashish Mani Tiwari/101 Reporters

‘Very unfortunate’

“Whatever is happening in Karnataka is very unfortunate,” says Congress leader PC Chacko, adding that other senior leaders could comment on the nitty-gritty of the matter.

Input by Rohin Kumar/ 101 Reporters

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Good sense will prevail upon MLAs who resigned: DK Shivakumar

Karnataka Minister DK Shivakumar on Congress-JD(S) MLAs submitting their resignations : They are telling some small stories, this is not the story to go and resign. It is shocking for all of us, I think good sense will prevail upon them. #Karnataka pic.twitter.com/xPpsOaMHnZ

— ANI (@ANI) July 6, 2019

Kolar MLA shocked by resignations

Kolar legislator and former minister K Srinivasa Gowda has ruled out the possibility of resignation. He said that he would not go against democratic principles. Srinivasa Gowda expressed shock at the resignation of senior leaders like Ramalinga Reddy and H Viswanath.

Ramalinga Reddy was an aspirant of ministerial berth and might have been upset as seniority was neglected in the party, he added.

Input by Ranganath/101Reporters

Shivakumar rules out trouble for Karnataka govt

Karnataka irrigation minister and Congress leader DK Shivakumar has ruled out that the government is in trouble.

“Nothing bothers the government. The resignation of 11 MLAs is yet to be approved. The coordination committee chairman Siddaramaiah also questioned how the government is unstable,” the minister said.

Input by Soumya Rani/101Reporters

I predicted JD(S) would finish Congress: BSY

“I had said on the floor of the House after I resigned from the CM’s post that the JD(S) would finish Congress in the state, which has now come true,” says former chief minister and BJP state chief BS Yeddyurappa.

Input by M Raghuram/101Reporters

Will Mumbai be a safe haven for the rebel legislators?

Political sources say that the rebel MLAs will fly to Mumbai and lodged in a hotel in Navi Mumbai. The Fadnavis government in Maharashtra has already made arrangements for hosting the Karnataka rebel legislators.

Other parties in Karnataka are also watching the developments. Leaders of Social Democratic Party of India feel that the rebel legislators will bring BJP government to power in the state.

The party elders have alleged that Vishwanath, Jarkiholi and DK Shivakumar had engineered the rebellion.

Input By M Raghuram/101Reporters

Rebel MLAs who had resigned met governor

Karnataka: Rebel Congress-JDS MLAs who had submitted their resignations to the Speaker of the Assembly, met Governor Vajubhai Vala at the Raj Bhavan in Bengaluru, today. pic.twitter.com/82KyeiZpJE

— ANI (@ANI) July 6, 2019

Sadananda Gowda says Gowda family is cause of rebellion

Former chief minister DV Sadananda Gowda confirmed that there was no hand of the BJP in the rebellion. “I believe that this coalition had the element of rebellion built in the coalition government. Deve Gowda and his sons and grandchildren had infused a severe misunderstanding when the family had fielded three members of the family in the Lok Sabha elections,” he said.

It’s curtains for another non-BJP state govt: Omar Abdullah

Looks like it’s curtains for another non-BJP state government. Can’t say this wasn’t expected. Most observers saw this coming a mile away. https://t.co/ZiVO4MA5Jd

— Omar Abdullah (@OmarAbdullah) July 6, 2019

Co-ordination committees to be blamed?

The co-ordination committees of the two coalition parties are being blamed for not taking legislators into confidence.

BC Patil, H Vishwanath, Shivaram Hebbar, Mahesh Kumathalli, Ramesh Jarkiholi and Ramalinga Reddy are the senior legislators who have resigned, and their resignation will make a difference. Each of these legislators had played mentors to the neighouring MLAs.

Input by M Raghuram/101Reporters

Decision shocks JD(S) workers in Mandya

The Mandya police department has stepped up security at the residence of KR Pet MLA KC Narayana Gowda in the district following his decision to resign from his post.

Gowda is the JD(S) MLA representing the Assembly for the consecutive second term. He is one among the legislators who tendered their resignations to their posts at the Assembly Speaker’s office on Saturday.

His move has severely saddened the JD(S) workers in the district and they are planning to organise protests against him. Hence, the police has provided security to his rented residence at Basaveshwar Nagar in KR Pet.

The MLA has businesses in Maharashtra and is settled in Mumbai with family. According to sources in the party, Gowda is upset with Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy for neglecting him.

Input by Deena D’Silva/101Reporters

14 MLAs have resigned: H Vishwanath

“In Congress-JD(S) coalition government in Karnataka, 14 MLAs have resigned against the government till now. We also met the Governor. We wrote to speaker to accept our resignation. Coalition government did not meet the expectations of the people of Karnataka,” ANI quoted JD(S) leader H Vishwanath as saying.

“We have submitted resignation to the Karnataka Assembly Speaker. He assured us he will take a decision by Tuesday. This government did not take everyone into confidence in its functioning. That’s why we’ve resigned voluntarily today,” he further said.

HD Kumaraswamy on his way back from the US

According to NDTV, Karnataka chief minister HD Kumaraswamy is on his way back to the state from the US.

11 Congress, JD(S) MLAs reach Raj Bhavan in Bengaluru

11 Karnataka Congress-JDS MLAs Mahesh Kumathalli, B C Patil, Ramesh Jarkiholi, Shivaram Hebbar, H. Vishwanath, Gopalaiah, Byrathi Basavaraj, Narayana Gowda, Munirathna, S.T. Somashekar & Pratap Gowda Patil are at the Raj Bhavan in Bengaluru. #Karnataka pic.twitter.com/VmHI3wATSk

— ANI (@ANI) July 6, 2019

We are in no way related to these resignations: BS Yeddyurappa

“We are in no way related to the resignations of these MLAs. As we had predicted the government seems to be collapsing under the weight of its own contradictions. BJP is adopting a wait and watch approach. We will take a call at a suitable time,” The Hindu quoted Karnataka BJP chief BS Yeddyurappa as saying.

At least 3 Congress MLAs ready to withdraw resignation if Siddaramaiah is made CM, claim reports

At least three of the Congress MLAs who submitted their resignations earlier today, have said that they will take back their resignations if Siddaramaiah is made the chief minister of the alliance government. 

Somashekar, Basavaraj, and Shivaram are three who have demanded that Siddaramaiah be made the chief minister. A fourth MLA, Muniratna, has not resigned but has made similar demands,  India Today reported. 

The Congress has handed over the chief minister’s post to JD(S) in a last-minute effort to stitch alliance in a hung Assembly, despite being the larger partner in the coalition.

Speaker Ramesh Kumar says he is unavailable till Tuesday to act on ruling alliance MLAs resignations

“11 of them have submitted resignation letters. I told officials to take the letters and issue  acknowledgement. Tomorrow the office will be closed…Monday I have prior engagement, so on Tuesday I will go to office and take further action, in accordance with rules,” Speaker Ramesh Kumar said.

To a question on the future of the government, Kumar said, “Let’s wait and see, I have nothing to do with it.” “Whether the government will fall or survive, it will  be decided in the Assembly…,” he added.  

PTI

First crisis to hit Congress party since Rahul Gandhi’s resignation 

Reams of print and hours of airtime has been dedicated to analyse the current leadership crisis that seems to have hit the Congress party as Rahul Gandhi remains intent on resigning as Congress party president, while the party is having trouble coming to terms with the decision. 

This is the first major crisis to have hit the head-less party. The last time when the Karnataka alliance was in troube, Rahul and senior party functionaries had intervened to curtail the crisis. But this time around, the Karnataka crisis has hit Congress in the midst of this spell of uncertainty in New Delhi.

‘They thought it’s high time to come out of that party’: BJP’s DV Sadananda Gowda on Congress-JD(S) resignations

Speaking to reporters on the reasons behind the resignations of Congress and JD(S) legislators, BJP’s DV Sadananda Gowda said, “They thought it’s high time that they come out of that party and resign from the legislators’ post. They felt that continuing as MLAs will not be good in the larger interest of their constituencies and the state.” 

DV Sadananda Gowda, BJP on 11 Karnataka Congress-JDS MLAs submitting resignation to Speaker: They thought it's high time to come out of that party&resigned from legislators post as they felt that continuing as MLAs was not good in the larger interest of their constituency & state pic.twitter.com/Q6f6gYe8wy

— ANI (@ANI) July 6, 2019

Ended four-decade long association with Congress as party doesn’t value seniors, says Ramalinga Reddy 

The Congress MLAs to have resigned from the Vidhan Soudha included veteran party leader Ramalinga Reddy. He told reporters, “I have decided to resign from the Congress, with which I have been associated for over four decades, as there is no respect or value for senior leaders in the party.” 

Reddy represents the BTM Layout Assembly segment in the city’s southwest suburb.

Karnataka Speaker confirms 11 MLAs resigned from Karnataka Vidhan Soudha 

Speaker KR Ramesh Kumar has confirmed that 11 MLAs of the ruling JD(S) and Congress government have tendered their resignation. According to India Today TV, Kumar said he has heard that 11 MLAs have submitted their resignations, but denied knowledge of them visiting his office at the Secretariat. He said he will not be avaialable in Bengaluru on Monday, and will only visit his office on Tuesday.

Congress’ Siddaramaiah claims only one MLA submitted resignation 

Congress Legislature Party leader Siddaramaiah however, said only Vijayanagar MLA Anand Singh submitted his resignation and that he may withdraw it following talks. He claimed Gokak MLA Ramesh Jarkiholi had not resigned, as his resignation had not reached the Speaker, but was only reported in the media.

Karnataka political crisis on a boil as ruling parties’ MLAs mass resign 

Saturday afternoon drama has put the JD(S)-Congress government in peril once again as at least 11 MLAs from both parties combinedly have submitted their resignations. However, there are conflicting reports on the number of MLAs who have submitted their resignations. 

What most accounts confirm is that a group of MLAs led by former JD(S) president H Vishwanath trouped into the Legislative assembly Speaker Ramesh Kumar’s chamber on Saturday afternoon. The Speaker, however, was not available at his office.

Trouble for Congress-JD(S) coalition as 11 MLAs submit resignations

The political crisis has deepened in Karnataka for the coalition government as eight Congress and three Janata Dal Secular legislators have reached the office of the state Assembly speaker, reportedly to submit their resignation.