Bangalore: Karnataka’s BJP government yesterday was in deep crisis as two ministers quit the cabinet and 13 party legislators, including the two ministers, announced they will resign from the assembly too.
Public Works Minister
C M Udasi and Energy Minister Shobha Karandlaje, loyalists of former BJP leader
B S Yeddyurappa, submitted their resignations to Chief Minister Jagadish Shettar here.
The plan of the 13 Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) legislators to quit the assembly did not materialise as Speaker K G Bopaiah was not present in his office, though, as Udasi said, he had been “informed” that resignation letters would be submitted to him yesterday.
After waiting in the speaker’s chamber for over an hour, Udasi led the legislators to Governor H R Bhardwaj and briefed him about the absence of the speaker and submitted copies of the resignation letters to him.
Bhardwaj “assured” the legislators that he would take action as per the constitution, Udasi told reporters at Raj Bhavan.
Karandlaje said the BJP had ensured the speaker’s absence.
“Our information is that a cabinet minister escorted the speaker to the airport last night (Tuesday). We have requested the governor for a probe and protection to us,” she added.
Karandlaje said the legislators had appealed to the governor to ensure that their resignation letters be accepted immediately.
The 13 legislators are staunch followers of Yeddyurappa and will join his new outfit Karnataka Janata Party (KJP).
Their resignation from the assembly is aimed at preventing Shettar from presenting the
2013-14 budget as that could help the BJP in the assembly elections due in May.
The resignations, if accepted, would bring down BJP’s strength in the 225-member assembly to 105 from 118, including the speaker.
The ruling party has the support of one independent member, who is a cabinet minister.
Udasi claimed that another four to five legislators were also ready to quit the assembly and they would soon do so.
Now the focus is both on the governor and the steps the BJP would take to ensure the survival of the Shettar ministry which took over only in July last year.
The governor is expected to ask Shettar to prove his majority in the assembly which is to meet Feb 4-13 for budget presentation.
The combined opposition’s — the Congress (71) and Janata Dal - Secular (26) — strength is 97. There are six other Independents. One is a nominated member while two seats are vacant.
If more than 20 BJP legislators quit the assembly, the BJP would have to muster support from the independents for the trust vote. Or hope that either the Congress or the JD-S or both walk out of the assembly ahead of the
trust vote.
Shettar is yet take a decision on the resignation of the two ministers as he left on a two-day tour of north Karnataka soon after receiving the quit letters.
He told reporters that he would take decision after “considering them (the letters)”. IANS
