'Of course, they are with us': Yeddyurappa says how can they prove majority if Cong-JD(S) MLAs don't support them
With less than 24-hours left for Karnataka assembly floor test, the Congress-JD(S) combine approached the Supreme Court challenging Karnataka Governor Vajubhai Vala's decision to appoint K G Bopaiah as the pro tem Speaker of the assembly.
The Supreme Court will hear a plea at 10:30 am on Saturday.
"It is submitted that despite the settled parliamentary convention and practice for appointment of a pro tem Speaker, a junior MLA Shri K.G. Bopaiah (BJP) with a dubious and controversial record of passing biased disqualification orders has been appointed as the pro tem Speaker. As a matter of fact, the conduct of Shri K.G. Bopaiah has been severely criticised and strictures have been passed against him by this Hon’ble Court. The disqualification orders passed by him were also set aside as being vitiated with mala fides and undue haste in two judgements of this Hon’ble Court in D. Sudhakar v. D. N. Jeevaraju. (2012) 2 SCC 708 (para 68 to 78 @78) and Balchandra Jarikholi v B.S. Yedyurappa, (2011) 7 SCC 1," the petition said.
Already under attack for inviting BS Yeddyurappa to form the government, the governor appointed KG Bopaiah the pro-tem speaker for administering oath to newly elected MLAs and conducting the floor test.
Bopaiah, who was the speaker between 2009 and 2013, is considered close to Yeddyurappa and had disqualified 11 disgruntled BJP and five independent MLAs ahead of a trust vote to help him stay in power in 2011.
Hitting out at Governor Vajubhai Vala for the decision, the Congress called him an "agent" of the BJP, and noted that R V Deshpande of the Congress, the senior-most member of the House, should have been appointed in Bopaiah's place.
The Supreme Court has ordered a floor test in the Karnataka Assembly at 4 PM tomorrow, drastically slashing the 15-day window given by the Governor to Yeddyurappa to prove majority.
Meanwhile, Yeddyurappa claimed that Congress and JD(S) MLAs are with the BJP and he will prove the majority. "Of course they are with us. If the MLAs from Congress an JD(S) don't support us, how can we prove majority? We will win the floor test 101%," Yeddyurappa said.
Though the effective strength of the 224-member Assembly is 222, with polling not taking place in two seats, JD(S)'s chief ministerial aspirant and the leader of the alliance H D Kumaraswamy won from two places and has only one vote.
The BJP has 104 MLAs and seven additional votes are required if the Yeddyurappa government is to survive, which it can only by persuading the newly formed alliance's lawmakers to defect to its side, resign or abstain from voting.
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
 "pro-tem-speaker")
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
)
)
)
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}