JDS urged Speaker to initiate "stringent" action against those indulged in "horse trading"
The political war in Karnataka escalated on Friday with JDS asking the Assembly Speaker to stop alleged horse trading by the BJP, which also moved the Governor seeking action against Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy for asking people to wage a "war" against the BJP.
The BJP also filed a complaint with the state DGP seeking action on the ground of sedition against HD Kumaraswamy, a day after he asked the people to "rise in revolt" against the BJP and warned it to be restrained while talking about the Deve Gowda family, including the chief minister.
As both parties continued to trade charges, JDS petitioned speaker Ramesh Kumar, alleging that BJP had approached many of its MLAs and of its ruling coalition ally Congress.
In a letter to Speaker Ramesh Kumar, ruling JDS spokesperson Ramesh Babu said attempts to 'buy' democratically elected MLAs and forcing them to resign their position was a "highly deplorable act."
"As the speaker of the House, you must stop the attempts to force the MLAs from resigning owing to political influence, threat, bullying or luring them for money," the letter said.
The JDS urged the Speaker to initiate "stringent" action against those MLAs who indulge in illegal activities of horse trading, threatening, bullying and influencing MLAs.
Countering the JDS, the BJP approached Governor Vajubhai Vala and DGP Neelamani N Raju with whom it filed a complaint of sedition against the chief minister, besides staging a protest against HD Kumaraswamy over his remarks.
In their letter to the Governor, the BJP demanded that he take action to prosecute the chief minister for his statement 'to wage a war'.
"Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy in connection with the current political scenario in the state has openly said that if any attempt is made to destabilise the government, he will ask people to 'wage a war'," the letter said.
In its complaint to the DGP, BJP alleged that the chief minister had violated Section 124(A) (relating to sedition) and other sections of the IPC.
Holding placards and raising slogans against former Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda and his sons, including HD Kumaraswamy, the BJP staged a protest near the Mysore Bank Circle, the nerve centre of the city, terming the chief minister's remark as a "call for anarchy."
"Kumaraswamy, who holds a constitutional post, has given a call for people to rise in revolt," BJP MP from Udupi Chikkamagaluru constituency Shobha Karandlaje said.
Talking to reporters after submitting the complaint to the DGP, she said the person who was supposed to protect the Constitution and citizens of the country was "provoking" people.
"Whatever was in Kumaraswamy's mind finally came out in the form of words," the BJP MP charged.
Another BJP parliamentarian Prahlad Joshi termed the statement as the "most irresponsible and unpardonable offence" and said the chief minister's choice of words displayed his state of mind.
Upset over the alleged toppling game of the BJP, an angry HD Kumaraswamy had on Thursday warned BJP to be restrained in its
speech about Deve Gowda and his family, saying he can even ask people to rise in revolt against it if it continued to disturb Congress-JDS coalition government headed by him.
Launching a no-holds-barred attack on state BJP chief BS Yeddyurappa, HD Kumaraswamy had said: "If you dig too much (into our affairs), then we too have many things at our disposal.
Government is in our hand. Don't I have the authority to do whatever I can? I caution him to be careful," he added.
Hitting back, BS Yeddyurappa had said if the state government was with HD Kumaraswamy, the central government was with the BJP.
Soon after, Congress and JDS activists staged a demonstration outside BS Yeddyurappa's house, raising slogans against him for his alleged attempts to destabilise the coalition government.
The BJP condemned the demonstration,saying that the state government was trying to muzzle the voice of the Opposition, which showed its "anti-democratic face".