Karnataka crisis : Speaker rejects resignation of 8 MLAs, Cong seeks disqualification of rebel MLAs 

In the backdrop of the ongoing political crisis in Karnataka, Congress leaders held protests in Delhi and Bengaluru, seeking disqualification of rebel Congress MLAs.

While in Bengaluru senior Congress leaders and MLAs sat on Dharna in front of the Gandhi statue in Karnataka assembly, Congress activists took out a demonstration against BJP in Delhi, blaming the saffron party for poaching Cong-JD(S) MLAs.

Meanwhile, days after 13 Congress-JD(S) MLAs submitted their resignation from the Assembly, Speaker K R Ramesh Kumar rejected letters of eight such legislators for not being in order and asked them to send letters as per the correct format.

“I have to make a conscious decision. Every step I take will become history, so I can’t be committing a mistake. Future generations should not look at me like an accused,” Kumar said.

Earlier in the day, CLP (Congress Legislative Party) leader Siddaramaiah blamed BJP for poaching Congress MLAs.

“Some of our MLAs fell in the trap set by the BJP. Even now I request them to return and withdraw the resignations. The resignations made by the MLAs are not voluntary and genuine, attracting anti-defection law according to the tenth schedule of the Indian Constitution. We have requested the speaker to disqualify them,” said Siddaramaiah.

Senior Congress leader and MLA Roshan Baig also resigned and submitted his resignation to the Speaker. After Baig’s resignation, numbers of the Congress-JD(S) coalition reduced to 103, falling short of the majority, compared to the BJP’s 105.

Two Independent MLAs, MLAs R Shankar and H Nagesh who withdrew support from the coalition on Monday are expected to support the BJP after they joined a rebel group in Mumbai on Monday.

After the mass resignations — 21 Congress and nine JD(S) ministers — the H D Kumaraswamy government in Karnataka is barely hanging by a thread.

Accusing the BJP of “horse trading and effort to topple the government” in Karnataka, activists of the Indian Youth Congress hit the street in Delhi.

Shouting slogans against the Modi government outside the Parliament House, IYC said in a communique, “The ruling central government dominated by the BJP is clearly and cleverly involved in the blatant corruption to succeed in the number game.”