HD Kumaraswamy confident of toppling BS Yeddyurappa goverment

Former chief minister and JD(S) leader HD Kumaraswamy on Sunday exuded confidence that the trust vote of the BS Yeddyurappa government would be defeated on Monday with the help of “rebel” BJP and independent MLAs, who have raised a banner of revolt.

JD(S) sources confirmed that 17 (12 BJP and five independent) MLAs had arrived in Chennai along with Kumaraswamy, JD(S) MP Cheluvarayaswamy and other state JD(S) leaders.
After a 12-hour sojourn in a five-star hotel, the MLAs were flown to Eagleton Golf Resort in Bidadi, about 30 km from Bangalore, by a special helicopter on Sunday afternoon. According to sources, all JD(S) MLAs are already camping at the Eagleton resort.

“This is a fight between dharma and adharma. In the last 28 months, this government has not done anything for the people of the state. This is the most irresponsible and corrupt government,” Kumaraswamy, who arrived in Chennai at 12.10am on Sunday with the 17 MLAs, told reporters.

“For the first time in the history of Indian politics, the speaker’s office is being misused at the behest of a chief minister to disqualify independent members,” Kumaraswamy said in the presence of the “rebel” MLAs and other JD(S) leaders at the Park Sheraton hotel.

“We have a strategy to defeat the motion of confidence to be moved by Yeddyurappa, irrespective of whatever illegal action the speaker takes. This government is misusing the official machinery to pressurise these MLAs to withdraw their opposition to the government,” he said.

“Some BJP ministers are pressurising these MLAs with all kinds of efforts. I don’t want to elaborate on them. They have resisted all efforts, stood together and are firmly decided to vote against the government or abstain from voting,” he explained after a two-hour meeting with the “rebels”.

“We have information that the government is trying its best to disqualify the MLAs. We are confident about the fall of the dirty Yeddyurappa government,” he asserted without confirming how many BJP MLAs would vote against the government.

“You will know the numbers after the Yeddyurappa government falls,” he replied to repeated queries on how many “rebels” would vote against the government. Kumaraswamy also did not elaborate on what the next step would be or what the Congress’ line of thought would be.

“We want to remove the bad and anti-people governance of the Yeddyurappa cabinet. Other issues on forming an alternate government will follow later. We will hold discussions as all these people are our old friends,” he said.

“Naturally the Congress will not support the confidence vote of the Yeddyurappa government. They will take their own decision on the floor of the house. Why should we worry about the Congress’ decision,” he stated when asked if the Congress would support the “rebel” MLAs’ stand.

On allegations of horse trading, he said, “It is not in our culture, we win over friends with love and affection. We are not backed by people who own mines or those who utilise government lands for their own purposes.”

Kumaraswamy blamed the arrogance and anti-people attitude of the state BJP leadership for the revolt within the party. “These people are our old friends and not rebels from the BJP. They have revolted because of Yeddyurappa’s misconduct and the unbelievable attitude of the cabinet,” he stressed.

“They want to prove that money or power will not sway them and that they want to remove the dirty government. Most of these MLAs are from North Karnataka and they are fed up with the government, which did not show any concern for the people of that region after last year’s floods,” he explained.

Asked why he should be a part of a “BJP” rebellion, Kumaraswamy thought for a while and replied, “These people have come forward to resist the lures of money and power. They want to rid the people from the clutches of an anti-poor, anti-people government and I thought it fit to support their cause.”

He kept repeating in English and Kannada that the rebellion against the Yeddyurappa government was action against highly corrupt persons, who believed that money and power can “change the stand of MLAs”.

Bus transport owner, former minister and Chamarajpet MLA Zameer Ahmed Khan was the man in-charge of the ‘road show’ of the “rebel” MLAs, who had been on a tour of Chennai-Kochi-Mumbai-Goa-Bangalore-Chennai and finally Bidadi from October 5, after raising the banner of revolt against Yeddyurappa.

They have resisted all offers to compromise including mediation by ministers R Ashoka, Basavaraj Bommai and G Janardhana Reddy. Only former minister MP Renukacharya has returned to the Yeddyurappa camp.