India
Karnataka floor test: After live telecast order, Congress says top court accepted 'most of our demands'
Updated : May 19, 2018, 12:43 PM IST
The Congress on Saturday said that the Supreme Court’s live telecast order for the 4pm floor test in Karnataka’s Vidhana Soudha would ensure transparency.
Talking to reporters shortly after the top court’s order, senior Congress leader Kapil Sibal said that the Apex Court agreed to most of the party’s demand.
‘Did not press for replacement of pro tem speaker in Supreme Court after it said live telecast of trust vote proceedings would take place,’ Sibal said.
‘We asked the Supreme Court to change the pro tem speaker but apex court said that they will have to give a notice first and for that the floor test in Karnataka had to be postponed. Hence, it was decided that to live telecast the trust vote in the Karnataka Assembly because we did not want the process to be delayed. And we are happy that the proceedings will be transparent,’ he added.
Taking a jibe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Sibal said, ‘Modi ji always says 'na khaoga na khaane dunga' (PM's popular phrase to end corruption), but he has never said 'na khareedunga, na khareedne dunga' (will neither buy nor let others buy).’
Meanwhile, amid contradictory reports missing lawmakers, senior Congress leader Veerapa Moily said, ‘BJP will be exposed to the whole world. They know very well that they are 104, still they are trying everything and anything to buy our MLAs. But, our MLAs are intact. Two of our MLAs are still not here, whenever they come they will surely support us.’
The floor test will take place on 4pm later today after the Supreme Court rejected the Congress-JD (S) plea challenging Karnataka Governor Vajubhai Vala's decision to appoint KG Bopaiah as the pro tem Speaker of the house to conduct the crucial trust vote.
Elections held on May 12 to 222 of the 224 constituencies in the state threw up a hung assembly with the BJP emerging as the single largest party having 104 MLAs, seven short of the half mark of 111, while the Congress won 78 seats and JD(S) 37.
Yeddyurappa was sworn in as chief minister on May 17, two days after the results were declared, after the governor accepted his claim to form the government.