Newly elected MlAs of both the Congress and the Janata Dal (Secular) staged protest near Gandhi statue at Vidhana Soudha, the seat of power in Bengaluru, on Thursday against Governor Vajubhai Vala for inviting BJP leader BS Yeddyurappa with 104 MlAs to form the Government.
Congress-JD(S) legislators led by their leaders including AICC senior leaders Mallikharjuna Kharge, Ashok Ghelot, Gulab Nabi Azad, KPCC president G Parameshwara, former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, Kumaraswamy, former Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda and host of others sat in front of the Gandhi statue, even as Yeddyurappa, who took oath earlier held formal Cabinet Meeting at Vidhana Soudha.
The Congress legislators, who spent the night at Egalton Resort at the outskirts of the city fearing BJP launching ‘Operation lotus ‘ to lure them, came to the protest venue by bus and joined their leaders. JD(S) legislators also spent the night in a five star hotel in the city and they also participated in the agitation.
Congress state president G Parameshwara said that it is a symbolic protest pending Supreme Court decision on a petition filed by the Congress. “The Governor has failed to follow the precedents, he has neglected the Supreme Court verdict on earlier cases and by inviting BJP to form the government despite it lacked the number, he has failed to uphold the Constitutional values.”
Congress leader in the lok Sabha, M Mallikarjun said Governor giving 15 days time to prove the majority was uncalled far and it leads to horse trading and bring pressure on the newly elected legislators. “The Governor, though we have submitted a list of 117 MlAs supporting for the Congress-JDS coalition government, has rejected and has invited BJP despite it has only 104 MlAs.”
Former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah termed the Governor’s action is nothing but murder of democracy. “We will continue to protest till we get justice,”he said.
JD(S) President H D Kumaraswamy said “ Narendra Modi Government want to demolish the democracy. The NDA Government led by Modi is misusing the Constitution. It is highly condemnable.”
He also alleged that BJP has indulged in horse-trading. “We are chalking out steps to scuttle the move and protect the interests of the MlAs”.The agitators sat in the agitation by wearing black badges.
There is also a speculation that more than three Congress MlAs are missing from a posh resort at the outskirts of Bengaluru where they are herded fearing poaching by the BJP. Kumaraswamy also alleged that Modi had misused the Enforcement Directorate (ED) to “threaten” and “poach” Vijayanagara Congress MlA elect Anand Singh. He said that Singh had told a Congress leader that he will be “finished “ if he doesn’t switch over to the BJP. “Singh has told a Congress leader that they (BJP) would finish him if he doesn’t switch over to the BJP. Singh apparently said that there is a case against him in the ED, and that the BJP had threatened to use it against him. The Congress leader narrated the entire conversation to me,” he said.
“Modi wants to demolish the democracy in the country. The Modi-Shah combine is out to sell the country and the state of Karnataka. MlA elects are being flown to New Delhi in chartered flights at 4 am. If this is not horse trading, then what is thisIJ The BJP is threatening and putting pressure on the Congress and JD(S) elected representatives. I call on all the opposition parties to come together,” he added.
With Singh’s defection to BJP, (IJ) the number of the JD(S)-Congress combine has come down to 116. The parties that have staked claim to form the government had submitted a list to the Governor stating that they had the support of 117 MlAs.
According to late evening reports the MlAs of both congress and JDs will be shifted to Kerala on the fear of poaching by the BJP.