Karnataka CM, deputy CM, Deve Gowda meet senior Congress leaders in Bengaluru
The JD(S)-Cong alliance in Karnataka appears to be on the brink of collapse after several MLAs handed in their resignations on a high-octane Saturday.
The JD(S)-Cong alliance in Karnataka appears to be on the brink of collapse after several MLAs handed in their resignations on a high-octane Saturday.
One of the rebel MLAs, JD(S) MLA H Vishwanath said yesterday that a total of 14 MLAs have jointly tendered their resignations to speaker KR Ramesh Kumar and asked him to accept them.
On Sunday, DK Shivakumar met former PM HD Deve Gowda in his residence.
They were joined by JD(S) leaders HD Revanna, D Kupendra Reddy, HK Kumaraswamy and DC Thammanna.
Meeting of Karnataka Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy, JD(S) leader HD Deve Gowda, Karnataka Minister, Deputy CM G Parameshwara & other senior Congress leaders, begins at Taj West End hotel
20:40 IST Sunday, 7 July 2019
Karnataka Congress MLA ST Somasekhar told the media that there was no question ‘withdrawing their resignations’.
Somashekar, one of the 13 MLAs who handed in their resignations said: “We will not withdraw our resignation. We are total 13 MLAs together. And 10 in Mumbai.”
He was speaking outside Sofitel Hotel in Mumbai. BC Patil, another Congress MLA said they were ‘together and there was no question of withdrawing their resignations’.
HD Devegowda reaches Taj End, where he will be meeting JD(S) MLAs.
19:58 IST Sunday, 7 July 2019
BJP blames 'power struggle'
It is the "power struggle" between Congress leader and former Karnataka chief minister Siddaramaiah and current incumbent HD Kumaraswamy which has resulted in a political crisis in the state, senior BJP leader and Union minister Pralhad Joshi said Sunday.
Dubbing the Congress's claim of a BJP hand behind the resignation of ruling alliance MLAs to destabilise the government in the state as "bogus", Joshi said, "All this is happening because the Congress has become leaderless and rather than blaming others, they should settle their house first." There is complete "anarchy" in Congress and its Karnataka unit is "functioning like an independent entity as central leadership has no say in the state unit," Joshi, a former chief of the state BJP unit, told PTI.
18:02 IST Sunday, 7 July 2019
Circular has been issued by Congress to all MLAs to attend Congress Legislature Party (CLP) meeting called by CLP leader Siddaramaiah on July 9. Karnataka Congress in charge KC Venugopal & Karnataka Congress chief Dinesh Gundu Rao will also be present in the meet.
17:42 IST Sunday, 7 July 2019
Murlidhar Rao, BJP on Congress saying BJP is behind the present political situation in #Karnataka: This is nonsense. It's baseless allegation. By making allegations against another party that has nothing to do with internal affairs of Congress, they're not going to gain anything.
Congress MLA from Bellary Rural B Nagendra has been called by Congress leaders to Windsor Manor Hotel in Bengaluru
16:43 IST Sunday, 7 July 2019
Four Congress activists were detained for protesting outside Sofitel Hotel in BKC, Mumbai where the MLAs are staying.
15:16 IST Sunday, 7 July 2019
Senior state Congress leaders including Deputy Chief Minister G Parameshwara, Home Minister MB Patil, former chief minister Siddaramaiah, HK Patil, KC Venugopal and Mallikarjun Kharge met to discuss the prevailing political situation in the state following the resignation of at least 11 legislators.
After the meeting at ITC Windsor Palace hotel here, Parameshwara said that the coalition leaders were talking to the disgruntled leaders to save the state government which is staring at a collapse. "We have been talking to them," he said.
"There is a scope for improvement. We should explore that improvement," Patil said.
14:57 IST Sunday, 7 July 2019
A senior Congress, who is in charge of keeping the flock of legislators together, on Sunday blamed party strongman Siddaramaiah for sabotaging the Karnataka government coalition, terming the former chief minister "a thief inside the party".
The senior party leader, on condition of anonymity, said Siddaramaiah is "playing games" to wreck the Congress-JD(S) coalition for "his prestige".
"There are thieves inside the house (Congress). One man (Siddaramaiah) is doing this for his prestige. He is playing all these games. MLAs who are there (in Mumbai) are in constant touch with Siddaramaiah but I don't know what my party high command is doing," the senior Congress leader stated.
13:37 IST Sunday, 7 July 2019
Meanwhile, in an attempt to hold their flock together, the Cong-JD(S) alliance appears to be offering ministerial berths to the dissidents. Sources told Zee Media that the several ministerial berths have been offered to the rebels and several current ministers have agreed to step down.
BJP MLC Prasad Lad and BJP leader Mohit Kamboj were also seen entering Hotel Sofitel in Mumbai, where dissident Karnataka MLAs are lodged.