Cong reassures aggrieved MLAs, calls for K'taka legislature meet

January 16, 2019 13:13

A Karnataka Congress Legislature Party meeting has been called on 18 January in Bengaluru. A political crisis in brewing in Karnataka, where two Independent MLAs Tuesday withdrew support to the seven-month-old ministry amid trading of poaching charges by the ruling coalition and the BJP.

KH Muniyappa, Congress MP, told ANI, "I invite all who left the fold to come back and not worry. Second generation Congressmen who won election must not feel insecure. Rahul Gandhi and KC Venugopal are aware of your grievances, you will be given chance in next cabinet expansion."

Union minister D V Sadananda Gowda had said on Tuesday that the BJP would stake claim to power in Karnataka if the Congress-JDS coalition government falls.

Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy however reiterated he enjoyed the support of 120 MLAs and alleged that Yeddyurappa was making "futile attempts" to destabilise his government.

In the 224-member Assembly, BJP has 104 members, Congress-79, JDS 37, BSP, KPJP and Independent one each, besides the Speaker.

A group of Youth Congress workers Wednesday protested outside a resort in Haryana where the BJP's Karnataka MLAs have been camping in an "effort to thwart any poaching attempt" by the ruling JDS-Congress coalition.

Around 20 Youth Congress workers led by Haryana Pradesh Congress General Secretary Pradeep Singh raised slogans against the NDA government outside the five-star ITC Grand Bharat resort located on the outskirts of Gurgaon.

The protesters alleged that the BJP was "disrespecting the Constitution and murdering democracy" in the country.

Meanwhile, sources said BJP's Karnataka unit chief B S Yeddyurappa is likely to hold a meeting with the party MLAs who are camping at the resort and discuss the prevailing situation in the state. They said the 104 BJP legislators will stay put till the top leaders in the party give their nod to return to Karnataka.

Mobile phones of the first-time MLAs have been "kept aside" to safeguard them against any poaching attempt, the sources said. -- PTI

Image: Karnataka Congress leader and the party's firefighter, DK Sivakumar.

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