Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa on Monday flayed Opposition parties for questioning the legitimacy of his Government and said such criticism is like “ridiculing” the public mandate.
He also claimed that his Government has in the last seven months boldly faced several challenges and made strong efforts to bring in transparency in administration.
Yediyurappa was replying to the motion of thanks to the Governor for his address to the joint sitting of the state legislature, in the legislative assembly.
The Chief Minister’s reply was marred by protests and sloganeering by opposition parties from the well of the House, demanding that they be permitted to raise the issue of BJP MLA Basanagouda Patil Yatnal’s “derogatory” comments against centenarian freedom fighter HS Doreswamy.
Even as the Chief Minister read out his reply, the Congress and JD(S) legislators shouted slogans like “jai to freedom fighters”, “save democracy and constitution”, “down down British agents” from the well of the House. Stating that he did not like to talk politics while speaking on the Governor’s address, but will have to reply to opposition’s criticism against his government, Yediyurappa said “in democracy numbers matter, and in this number game our party has won.”
Pointing out that by winning 12 of 15 seats in December bypolls “we have proved that public mandate is in favour of our party”, he said it was our “moral victory.”
“You should be aware that the people of the state are completely with us. In Lok Sabha polls your party had won one seat, we had won 25+1 (one BJP supported independent),” he said, adding that criticism against Government’s legitimacy is like “ridiculing” the public mandate.
He cautioned that if the opposition continues to indulge in such criticism, people will start taking them lightly. “Because of my concern towards you, I’m giving you this advice,” he said.
Calling the BJP Government in Karnataka as “child born illicitly from Operation Kamala”, Leader of Opposition in the assembly Siddaramaiah had said the government in the state did not come to power with the people’s mandate, but by engineering the defection of 17 Congress-JD(S) legislators.