Bengaluru, Karnataka: Two buses started from Bengaluru around 12:15 am on Thursday night and zoomed down the highway in scenes straight out of a thriller. On board were around 116 Karnataka lawmakers -- from the Congress and Janata Dal Secular (JDS) -- being driven to Hyderabad under secrecy as much as they could manage with media teams close behind.
Over an hour later, some of the lawmakers shifted to a third bus, a sleeper for a more comfortable ride. The lawmakers were no action stars, so they needed breaks, plenty of them, after a day of non-stop political drama.
The BJP is eight short of the majority mark. The Congress-JDS hope that the time will be drastically cut short by the Supreme Court today.
About an hour later, the buses drove out of Eagleton, a private resort in Bengaluru where the Congress lawmakers had been put up, and Shangri-La, a luxury hotel where the JDS legislators had been staying.
A journey of 500 kilometres took eight hours.
"How shamelessly the BJP is asking MLAs... there is an anti-defection law. And JDS-Congress have clear numbers. But the BJP is openly poaching. And shamelessly the PM (Prime Minister Narendra Modi) supports it. They are acting like criminals," said the Congress leader.
The Congress has advised all its lawmakers to install an app that helps track and record phone-calls. They claim some chats have been recorded and "will be revealed at an appropriate time".
"Hyderabad is the place we will protect democracy," he smiled.
One of the buses drove into Hyderabad and stopped at the Hyatt Regency. Another bus went to the Taj Krishna, where the hotel's staff were seen trying to ensure that the media did not enter the lobby.
Over an hour later, some of the lawmakers shifted to a third bus, a sleeper for a more comfortable ride. The lawmakers were no action stars, so they needed breaks, plenty of them, after a day of non-stop political drama.
The BJP is eight short of the majority mark. The Congress-JDS hope that the time will be drastically cut short by the Supreme Court today.
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Earlier, the Congress MLAs were sequestered at Eagleton resort in Bengaluru
About an hour later, the buses drove out of Eagleton, a private resort in Bengaluru where the Congress lawmakers had been put up, and Shangri-La, a luxury hotel where the JDS legislators had been staying.
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A journey of 500 kilometres took eight hours.
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"How shamelessly the BJP is asking MLAs... there is an anti-defection law. And JDS-Congress have clear numbers. But the BJP is openly poaching. And shamelessly the PM (Prime Minister Narendra Modi) supports it. They are acting like criminals," said the Congress leader.
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The Congress has advised all its lawmakers to install an app that helps track and record phone-calls. They claim some chats have been recorded and "will be revealed at an appropriate time".
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"Hyderabad is the place we will protect democracy," he smiled.
One of the buses drove into Hyderabad and stopped at the Hyatt Regency. Another bus went to the Taj Krishna, where the hotel's staff were seen trying to ensure that the media did not enter the lobby.
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