Bangalore:
In a fresh blow to the Congress, SV Ramachandra, an MLA, resigned from the Assembly yesterday. This triggered a protest by party MLAs.
"The BJP is trying to poach our MLAs. We won't allow this," said D K Shivakumar, Congress MLA.
Yet another act in Karnataka's political drama. Over 50 Congress MLAs arrested late on Tuesday night. The legislators were on a dharna outside Chief Minister BS Yeddyurappa's house protesting against what they call Operation Kamala, that is, BJP's ploy to poach Congress MLAs.
When the BJP came to power in June 2008, it was accused of poaching 7 MLAs by dangling the carrot of a Cabinet seat.
"You know what they did under Operation Lotus 1, we have written to the Governor as horse trading is going on," said RV Deshpande, Karnataka Congress president.
Congress leaders say after the rebellion by 16 MLAs and the Yeddyurappa government balanced on a wafer thin majority, poaching has intensified. BJP says it has done nothing to lure MLAs from the Opposition.
"So what's wrong in that? If any legislator wants to quit his party and join us, we will welcome them," said Dhananjay Kumar, BJP.
No end to the political potboiler in Karnataka, the next big twist awaited is the High Court verdict on the rebel MLAs.