The Karnataka budget will be presented at around noon today after legislative party meetings by the Congress, JDS and BJP. The Congress issued a whip requiring all its lawmakers to abide by directives, failing which they would be disqualified and banned from contesting polls for the next six years. Congress leader and former chief minister Siddaramaiah also directed four dissenting Congress lawmakers to attend a Congress Legislature Party meeting today, warning of action as per the anti-defection law.
Karnataka Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy has tried to woo the rebel Congress lawmakers with prime positions in the government, ahead of the Karnataka Budget.
Among the beneficiaries of this move are lawmakers Pratap Gowda Patil, Basaveshwaranagar Daddal and MA Gopalaswamy. While Mr Daddal has been appointed as chairman of the Scheduled Tribes Welfare Board, Mr Gopalaswamy is the new parliamentary secretary to Water Resource Minister DK Shivakumar.
Disgrunted lawmaker Umesh Jadhav -- found to be absenting himself from Congress Legislative Party meetings despite repeated warnings -- has been replaced by Mr Patil as the chairman of the Warehouse Corporation.
Mr Kumaraswamy addressed the media, before the budget instead of after as usually happens, in which he criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi and senior BJP leader BS Yeddyurappa. He also played audio which says BS Yeddyurappa spoke to lawmakers and their family members to win them over.
Mr Gowda, who was earlier said to be missing, is in a hospital in Mumbai.
Here are the LIVE UPDATES over the Karnataka Budget:
Agonized by the painful words spoken by Karnataka CM Sri @hd_kumaraswamy. As he rightly said, PM Modi's devotion to Parliament is pretentious, as is clear by the systematic demolition of democracy and destruction of institutions in the country. We must unite to #SaveDemocracy.
- N Chandrababu Naidu (@ncbn) February 8, 2019
On allegations of BS Yeddyurappa approaching the Karanataka assembly speaker with a bribe as well, he said, "If it is true, speaker must answer. If true, I am ready to retire from politics."
"They're saying this to save their government. That's why they're saying such nonsense," Mr Yeddyurappa said.
Presenting the ruling coalition''s second budget in the assembly in Karnataka capital Bengaluru, Mr Kumaraswamy, who holds the finance portfolio, said it had benefitted about 12 lakh farmers.
He also announced that "Ayushman Bharat" scheme of the centre would be combined with "Aroygya Karnataka" and it would be renamed as "Ayushman Bharat Karnataka," according to PTI.
"Besides 61.5 lakh existing beneficiaries, it would be extended to another 52 lakh people, Mr Kumaraswamy said, quoted by PTI.
BJP members led by BS Yeddyurappa, who have been disrupting the proceedings since the budget session began on Wednesday alleging that the government lacked majority, staged a walkout, according to a PTI report.
Congress members, on their part, held placards, criticising the BJP's alleged attempt to topple the coalition government.
"We will approach the Speaker to take action against them under the Anti-Defection Law seeking their disqualification," he said.
The conversation reveals the conspiracy hatched by @BJP4India @AmitShah @BSYBJP to overthrow a democratically elected govt.
- Dinesh Gundu Rao (@dineshgrao) February 8, 2019
The naked act of anti constitutional methods being followed by them is exposed.
An enquiry at the highest level is a must to expose the true face of BJP. https://t.co/r11Cs7gd4U
He also dismissed a claim by the chief minister that he had spoken in the audio about a "Rs 50 crore" offer to the assembly speaker.
"I will retire from politics if it (the allegation) is proved...If I had spoken like this (about the speaker), if it is proved...I will resign as an MLA and quit politics," he said, according to PTI.
Read Here: Karnataka Budget 2019: HD Kumaraswamy Releases Audio Clips, Claims BS Yeddyurappa Luring MLAsKarnataka Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy released an audio clip and claimed that former chief minister and BJP leader BS Yeddyurappa is luring lawmakers to topple his government.
Shortly after HD Kumaraswamy released the clips, BS Yeddyurappa said he had not met anyone to woo JD(S) lawmaker Nagana Gouda as alleged and that the charge against him was "far from the truth."
BS Yeddyurappa said he went to Devadurga, where the lawmaker's son Sharan Gouda claimed to have met him and recorded the conversation, to visit a temple and flew back to the city, according to PTI.
HD Kumaraswamy had "concocted" the story to hide his failures and inability to keep the JD(S) and Congress flock together, Mr Yeddyurappa told reporters.
"It is a fake audio... I have not met anyone. Kumaraswamy is trying to hide his failures. This is a drama," BS Yeddyurappa said.
In a desperate attempt to save his govt full time movie producer turned part time CM @hd_kumaraswamy has used his connection to mimic @BSYBJP's voice.
- BJP Karnataka (@BJP4Karnataka) February 8, 2019
Your fake hit & run allegations are not something new.
BTW here is one of your audio
Our promise: FarmersLoanWaiver
- H D Devegowda (@H_D_Devegowda) February 7, 2019
-Status: Ongoing
Modi's promise: Ram Mandir,Clean Ganga,Interlinking of rivers,15Lakh into bank accounts
-Status: Never
'Ongoing' is a better status to be in than 'Never'.
The only 'Ongoing' status in BJP is 'Operation Lotus' attempt in Karnataka.
Read Here: Karnataka Budget 2019: Ahead Of Karnataka Budget, HD Kumaraswamy Woos Rebel MLAs With Plum PostsEven as the BJP continued to disrupt the Karnataka assembly over the ruling coalition's continuance in power, Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy on Thursday gave away prime positions in the government to potential rebels in an effort to pacify them before he presents the state budget today.
