Another day of high drama .
The Karnataka Assembly on Friday failed to meet two deadlines set by Governor Vajubhai Vala to complete the trust vote today after Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy challenged the directive and the ruling coalition not in a mood to comply with it.
The trust vote will now be held on Monday, July 22 with the ruling party leaders claiming that a number of speakers were still there to participate in the debate on the confidence motion moved by Kumaraswamy on Thursday.
The Speaker adjourned the Assembly session around 8:30 PM. The session was adjourned till Monday, July 22 when it's expected to be held.
Speaker Ramesh Kumar, who had been urging the CM to call a trust vote said around 8:30 PM
The Speaker said: "I cannot sit anymore. House adjourned to Monday 11am."
Reacting, Yeddyrappa said: "Monday will be the last day for HD Kumaraswamy govt, they don't have numbers & they aren't allowing the people who have numbers to form govt. We are 106 members totally. SC has said MLAs who are in Mumbai can't be forced to attend session."
Earlier, former CM and BJP leader had appealed to the Speaker: "Yeddyurappa: I appeal to you (chair), governor has asked CM to prove majority today. We are here to sit even if it is till 12. We will Cooperate. I appeal to cm also respect governor's directive."
After a day-long debate and drama marked by heated exchanges between the ruling and opposition members over the powers of a Governor and the need to respect his directive.
As the House resumed proceedings in the morning, the Governor shot off a missive to the Chief Minister to prove his majority by 1:30 pm. There was a lot of debate on the directive itself and in the midst of uproar, Speaker KR Ramesh Kumar adjourned the House till 3 pm.
This was followed by another directive from the Governor that the confidence vote business should be completed by 6 pm.
Intervening in the debate, Kumaraswamy virtually ruled out proving his majority in the Assembly by the second deadline set by the Governor, when he sought protection from the Assembly Speaker in the matter.
He said the "second love letter" sent by Vala asking him to prove majority in the Assembly before 6 pm today hurt him and asked him whether he came to know of horse-trading only now.
"I leave the decision on the floor test to you (the Speaker). It won't be directed by Delhi. I request you to protect me from the letter sent by the Governor," Kumaraswamy had said.
1. Karnataka police reaches Mumbai
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* Karnataka police reached St George hospital along with Mumbai Police. to record hospitalised Congress MLA Shrimant Patil' s statement. Karnataka Congress have registered kidnapping case in MLA matter. The step has been initiated by Home Minister of Karnataka M.B Patil. DCP Nilesh Kumar from Karnataka police asked doctors of St. George for health report of the MLA. He had flown to Mumbai after falling ill and has refuted allegation that he was forcefully brought there.
2. Political courtesy between leaders
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In the morning, the state government arranged breakfast for the protesting MLAs. Deputy CM G Parameshwara was quoted as saying, " They(BJP MLAs) were on an over night dharna at Vidhana Soudha. It's our duty to arrange food&other things for them.Some of them have diabetes&BP, that's why we arranged everything here.Beyond politics we're friends,it's the beauty of democracy.". He also met the BJP MLAs and shared meal with them.
3. BJP does overnight protest by staying inside the Assembly
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Two chapatis, curd rice for 250 members (including legislators) for dinner was provided, said TR Bhatt, who was arranging food for the legislators.
"For breakfast tomorrow morning, it is Idli, Vada with Coffee," he said.
With pillows to rest and a cook to prepare food, the BJP did its overnight "dharna" in the Vidhana Soudha here against the Congress-JD(S) government in the state for dragging its feet on trust vote.
4. What happened on Thursday
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The assembly witnessed three adjournments, acrimony and repeated disruptions by belligerent slogan shouting Congress members after the motion was moved by Kumaraswamy to decide the fate of the Congress-JDS government wracked by rebellion by a section of its MLAs threatening its survival.
BJP alleged the ruling coalition was deliberately prolonging the trust vote to buy time to shore up its numbers and save the government.
The drama unfolded right from the word go as, facing truncated strength caused by the en masse resignation of 16 ruling coalition MLAs, Kumaraswamy moved a one-line motion, saying the House expressed confidence in the 14-month old ministry headed by him.
Twenty lawmakers did not turn up Thursday, including 17 from the ruling coalition, 12 of whom are corralled in a hotel in Mumbai, as the House debated in a surcharged atmosphere.
Sending a stern message, the Governor in his letter to Kumaraswamy said "In my capacity as the Head of the State I had not intervened on the matter having regard to the fact that the House was called and Trust vote has been moved. "However, it has been reported to me that the proceedings of the House today for vote of confidence has been stalled and consequently adjourned without reaching any finality, and this cannot go on in a democratic set up governed by the Constitution of India, he said.
As the chief minister sought the trust vote, Congress Legislature Party leader Siddaramaiah pressed for deferring the confidence motion till the assembly speaker decided on the issue of whip in the wake of the Supreme Court verdict on the political crisis in the state.
Siddaramaiah said the 15 rebel MLAs were influenced by the apex court order that they can abstain from attending the assembly proceedings and asked speaker to give a ruling on the fate of whip issued by him as CLP leader.
"If this motion is taken up, then it will not be constitutional. It violates the constitutional provisions.
I request you to defer it. I want your ruling on this point of order," he told the Speaker.
The speaker then said he would consult the advocate general and adjourned the House for lunch.
With the chief minister yet to make his speech on the motion, the House went about discussing the issue of the whip, amid acrimony between the treasury benches and BJP members on the political turmoil in the state.
Congress and BJP MLAs, who were sequestered in resorts in the city fearing poaching by the rival camps, were herded together and brought in buses just before the assembly proceedings began.
The trial of strength is taking place a day after the Supreme Court ruled that the 15 rebel Congress-JDS MLAs "ought not" to be compelled to participate in the proceedings of the ongoing session of the state Assembly.
Armed with the court order, the rebel Congress-JDS MLAs camping in Mumbai have said there was no question of stepping back on their resignations or attending the session.
The ruling combine's strength is 117-- Congress 78, JD(S) 37, BSP 1, and nominated 1, besides the Speaker.
With the support of the two independents, the opposition BJP has 107 MLAs in the 225-member House, including the nominated MLA and Speaker.
