Karnataka cabinet convenes session on Oct 18 to seek floor test

BANGALORE: Boycotted by BJP ministers, the Karnataka cabinet on Friday decided to convene a session of the state legislature on October 18 apparently for a floor test, in fresh signs that the JD(S) was not keen on transferring power to the saffron party.

Even as the scene has shifted to Delhi with talks slated between the leaders of the two parties, Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy called an emergent meeting of the cabinet, from which the BJP ministers kept away following their resignation on October 2.

The Chief Minister is yet to act on the resignation of the BJP Ministers.

Briefing reporters after the cabinet meeting, primary and secondary education minister Basavaraj Horatti sought to play down the decision to call the legislature session, saying it had been decided earlier to have it in October.

"The decision will be intimated to the Governor, his permission will be sought (for convening the session)", Horatti said.

BJP's chief ministerial candidate B S Yediyurappa, meanwhile, said that his party would take 3-4 days before responding to the "grave charges" made against it by the Chief Minister.

"We also have a long list (of grave charges against the coalition partner JDS)", Yediyurappa said.

"If they (JDS) don't want to transfer power, we are also ready for elections. Let's go before the people", he said.

Denying JD(S) supremo H D Deve Gowda's charge that he did not act on giving relief to sugarcane growers, Yediyurappa said it was an attempt to put him in the dock before farmers.