Karnataka Trust Vote: The coalition in Karnataka is in danger of collapsing after multiple resignations.
After the Congress-Janata Dal Secular coalition in Karnataka ignored the two deadlines given by the Governor to prove its majority during a trust vote, the Speaker adjourned the Assembly till Monday.
The ruling coalition earlier questioned the Governor's power to issue such a direction, with Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy citing a Supreme Court verdict that a Governor cannot act as ombudsman of Legislature. Mr Kumaraswamy said he would not criticise the Governor and requested the Speaker KR Ramesh Kumar to decide whether the Governor can set a deadline.
Earlier today, Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy continued his attack on the opposition BJP, accusing the party of offering "Rs. 40-50 crore" to lawmakers to switch sides. The BJP has alleged delaying tactics by the coalition, which appears to be in a minority after losing the support of 18 lawmakers over the past two weeks. Following the Speaker's decision to delay the trust vote, the BJP lawmakers spent the night in the assembly.
Sixteen legislators - 13 from the Congress and three from JDS - have resigned in the last two weeks, while two independent legislators have withdrawn their support to the coalition government. If the resignations of the 15 legislators who approached the Supreme Court are accepted, the ruling coalition's tally will plummet to 101 (if Ramalinga Reddy takes back his resignation), reducing the 13 month-old Kumaraswamy government to a minority.
Here are the Highlights on Karnataka crisis:
House adjourned till Monday
The Karnataka Assembly has been adjourned till Monday without taking up the voting on the motion of confidence moved by Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy.
Speaker KR Ramesh Kumar adjourned the House after the Congress-JDS coalition governement ignored two deadlines set by Governor Vajubhai Vala to prove majority Friday itself.
Before adjourning, the speaker made it clear that finality would be put on the motion on Monday and the matter would not be prolonged further under any circumstances.
No lawmaker has sought protection: Speaker
Karnataka Speaker KR Ramesh says: "Want to inform the Supreme Court, people and the House. No lawmaker has given me letter seeking protection and I don't know if they have written to government. If they have informed any member that they have stayed away from House for security reasons then they are misleading people."
Karnataka deputy chief minister G Parameshwara says: "We have approached Supreme Court to contend two major issues: Parties have the right to issue whips to their legislators & this cannot be taken away by any court. When the house is in session, Governor can't issue directions or deadlines to when we should have a trust vote."
Kumaraswamy files application in Supreme court
JDS chief and Karnataka chief minister HD Kumaraswamy filed an application in Supreme court seeking to establish party's right to issue whip to its lawmakers not withstanding top court's July 17 order.
The application says that the Governor sent a communication directing that the confidence motion and the trust vote should be held before 1:30 pm today. "It is respectfully submitted that no such direction could have been issued by the Governor when the confidence motion has already been initiated. The debates on the motion are currently ongoing and the House is in seisin of the confidence motion," it reads.
The Speaker has also opined that the division will take place only at the end of the debate, Mr Kumaraswamy tells the Supreme Court. "In these circumstances the Governor cannot dictate to the House the manner in which the debate of the confidence motion has to be taken up."
Decision On Floor Test Left To Speaker: Chief Minister
Karnataka Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy says: "I have respect for the Governor. But the second love letter from the Governor has hurt me. He only came to know about horse trading 10 days ago?"
The chief minister showed photos of BS Yeddyurappa's PA Santosh, reportedly boarding a plane with independent lawmaker H Nagesh.
"I leave the decision on the floor test to you (the Speaker). It won't be directed by Delhi. I request you to protect me from the letter sent by the Governor."
Karnataka Congress in-charge KC Venugopal tweets: "It is shameful that, instead of upholding the Constitution, the Karnataka Governor has turned to be an agent of BJP. He can't interfere in the functioning of Legislative Assembly. Stop converting Raj Bhavan to BJP Office."
Governor asks chief minister to prove majority by today
Karnataka Governor Vajubhai Vala has sent a letter to Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy to prove majority by evening today.
"When the allegations of horse trading are widely made and I am recieving many such complaints it is constitutionally imperative that the floor test be completed without any delay and today itself... I therefore require you to prove your majority and complete and conclude floor test procedure today," the Governor has written in the letter.
Karnataka Congress president Dinesh Gundu Rao moves Supreme Court claiming that top court's July 17 order, which directed that 15 rebel lawmakers cannot be compelled to attend Assembly, violated the party's right under Tenth Schedule to issue whip to its lawmakers.
Assembly fails to meet 1.30 pm deadline for trust
When the deadline ended, BJP leader B S Yeddyurappa stood up and pressed for division on the vote of confidence moved by the Chief Minister.
The Speaker said there was a process to be followed and the motion would be put to vote, if pressed for, according to rules after discussion.
Amid bedlam, the House was then adjourned till 3 p.m.
This morning, Speaker KR Ramesh Kumar continued with the debate. Chief Minister Kumaraswamy, in his second statement in two days, warned the BJP of judgement day, accusing it of doing everything to dislodge him. "When I went to America...the Bible refers to Judgement Day. In that book - the only consolation is that there is coming a day when all will give an account of their lives to God," he said.
HD Kumaraswamy Will Make His Farewell Speech Today: BS Yeddyurappa
With the Karnataka Governor asking Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy to prove majority in the Assembly by Friday afternoon, state BJP chief B S Yeddyurappa predicted the end of the coalition government and said his party will decide on the future course of action after consulting the national leadership."
Nation keeping a close eye on the developments: Kumaraswamy
People of the country are keeping a close watch on the developments taking place in Karnataka, Chief Minister HDKumaraswamy said in his address to the Assembly.
Karnataka police has reached Mumbai to record statement of Congress lawmaker Shrimant Patil, who slipped out of a resort where the party's lawmakers were staying and surfaced in a hospital in Mumbai.
Karnataka BJP lawmakers to hold a meeting with state BJP President, BS Yeddyurappa before the commencement of today's Assembly session, reports news agency ANI.
Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister meets BJP MLAs at Vidhana Soudha
Early this morning, Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister G. Parameshwara met BJP MLAs who were on an over night 'dharna' at Vidhana Soudha in Bengaluru.
"They(BJP MLAs) were on an over night dharna at Vidhana Soudha. It's our duty to arrange food and other things for them.Some of them have diabetes&BP, that's why we arranged everything here.Beyond politics we're friends,it's the beauty of democracy," he was quoted as saying by news agency ANI.
Eighteen legislators had absented themselves from the House as it took up the vote of confidence for debate earlier that day.
Karnataka BJP chief BS Yeddyurappa staged a night-long protest along with party lawmakers in the state assembly on Thursday, alleging that the Congress-Janata Dal Secular (JDS) government was trying to delay a trust vote in which it was "sure to lose".
"This government has lost its majority. They tried to drag their feet on the issue and provoke us, but we acted with patience. We will continue to press for a trust vote on the motion. We will stage a night-long dharna in the House," news agency ANI quoted him as saying. The announcement came soon after Speaker KR Ramesh Kumar adjourned the assembly in the midst of a heated confidence motion debate.
As many as 16 legislators from the ruling coalition - 13 from the Congress and three from the JDS -have resigned over the last few weeks. This development, combined with two independent candidates withdrawing their support, has put the ruling coalition in a precarious position. The BJP now has 107 legislators with the support of two independents, while the JDS-Congress tally could well plummet to 100.
The halfway mark in the 224-member assembly is 113.
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