2 more ministers quit, K’taka govt flounders
24 Jan 2013 7:03 AM IST
The BJP government in Karnataka Wednesday faced a serious threat of survival as two ministers quit the cabinet and 13 party legislators, including the two ministers, announced they will resign from the assembly too.
Public Works Minister C.M. Udasi and Energy Minister Shobha Karandlaje, loyalists of former BJP leader B.S. Yeddyurappa, submitted their resignations to Chief Minister Jagadish Shettar here.
Shettar told reporters, before leaving for a two-day tour of north Karnataka, that he had received the resignation letters and would take a decision after ‘considering them’.
Udasi, Karandlaje and 11 other legislators, however, could not submit their resignation from the assembly as Speaker K.G. Bopaiah was out of Bangalore.
The absence of the speaker led to high drama in his chamber as Udasi, Karandlaje and other legislators waited for him for about an hour.
The legislators were upset that Bopaiah was not present even though he had been ‘informed about our coming to meet him on Wednesday (Wednesday),’ Udasi told reporters in the speaker’s chamber.
Yeddyurappa, who came to the speaker’s office after learning about the drama, lambasted Shettar, Bopaiah and the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) over the development.
‘This is a shameless government. The speaker is not present even though he had been informed. He should be brought back within 24 hours,’ he said.
He also demanded that Shettar return to Bangalore immediately and quit as he had ‘lost majority’. Yeddyurappa appealed to people to ‘gherao’ (lay siege to) Shettar to force him to return to Bangalore.
Udasi, Karandlaje and other 11 legislators met Governor H.R. Bhardwaj and briefed him about the speaker not being present to receive their resignation letters even though he had been ‘informed’ about it.
‘We gave copies of our resignation letters to the governor and briefed him about the developments. We requested him to take action according to constitutional provisions,’ Udasi told reporters outside Raj Bhavan (governor’s official residence).
‘The governor has assured us that he would act as per the constitution,’ Udasi said.
Earlier, Bhardwaj, who returned to Bangalore Wednesday from New Delhi, told reporters that he had no role to play in the unfolding drama but would act to prevent any constitutional crisis.
Udasi and the legislators who are quitting the assembly will join the Karnataka Janata Party (KJP) headed by Yeddyurappa to strengthen it ahead of the assembly elections due in May.
Yeddyurappa, the BJP’s first chief minister in the state, quit the party and the assembly Nov 30 to form and lead the KJP as he was not made state BJP chief.
DESPERATELY SEEKING K G BOPAIAH
Karnataka assembly Speaker K G Bopaiah Wednesday landed himself and the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party in a major controversy as he was not present in his office to receive the resignation letters of 13 BJP rebel legislators.
Speculation was rife about his whereabouts - from he has gone out of the country to he has been sent to a neighbouring state by the ruling party to delay receiving the resignation letters.
The issue has now reached Governor H R Bhardwaj as the 13 legislators met and briefed him about the absence of the speaker and sought a probe into it.
The 13 legislators who want to quit the assembly include Public Works Minister C M Udasi and Energy Minister Shobha Karandlaje, who resigned from the Jagadish Shettar cabinet earlier Wednesday.
Udasi asserted that the speaker was absent even though ‘we had told him yesterday (Tuesday) that we will meet him on Wednesday (Wednesday) to give our resignations’.
Udasi, Karandlaje and the 11 legislators waited in the speaker’s chamber for over an hour to submit their resignations from the assembly.
These legislators were angry that the speaker’s office staff was not aware of his whereabouts - whether he is in the country or out of it.
What seems to make the matters worse is that top officials of the speaker’s office were also not present in his chamber, leaving a joint secretary to pacify the agitated legislators.
Public Works Minister C.M. Udasi and Energy Minister Shobha Karandlaje, loyalists of former BJP leader B.S. Yeddyurappa, submitted their resignations to Chief Minister Jagadish Shettar here.
Shettar told reporters, before leaving for a two-day tour of north Karnataka, that he had received the resignation letters and would take a decision after ‘considering them’.
Udasi, Karandlaje and 11 other legislators, however, could not submit their resignation from the assembly as Speaker K.G. Bopaiah was out of Bangalore.
The absence of the speaker led to high drama in his chamber as Udasi, Karandlaje and other legislators waited for him for about an hour.
The legislators were upset that Bopaiah was not present even though he had been ‘informed about our coming to meet him on Wednesday (Wednesday),’ Udasi told reporters in the speaker’s chamber.
Yeddyurappa, who came to the speaker’s office after learning about the drama, lambasted Shettar, Bopaiah and the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) over the development.
‘This is a shameless government. The speaker is not present even though he had been informed. He should be brought back within 24 hours,’ he said.
He also demanded that Shettar return to Bangalore immediately and quit as he had ‘lost majority’. Yeddyurappa appealed to people to ‘gherao’ (lay siege to) Shettar to force him to return to Bangalore.
Udasi, Karandlaje and other 11 legislators met Governor H.R. Bhardwaj and briefed him about the speaker not being present to receive their resignation letters even though he had been ‘informed’ about it.
‘We gave copies of our resignation letters to the governor and briefed him about the developments. We requested him to take action according to constitutional provisions,’ Udasi told reporters outside Raj Bhavan (governor’s official residence).
‘The governor has assured us that he would act as per the constitution,’ Udasi said.
Earlier, Bhardwaj, who returned to Bangalore Wednesday from New Delhi, told reporters that he had no role to play in the unfolding drama but would act to prevent any constitutional crisis.
Udasi and the legislators who are quitting the assembly will join the Karnataka Janata Party (KJP) headed by Yeddyurappa to strengthen it ahead of the assembly elections due in May.
Yeddyurappa, the BJP’s first chief minister in the state, quit the party and the assembly Nov 30 to form and lead the KJP as he was not made state BJP chief.
DESPERATELY SEEKING K G BOPAIAH
Karnataka assembly Speaker K G Bopaiah Wednesday landed himself and the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party in a major controversy as he was not present in his office to receive the resignation letters of 13 BJP rebel legislators.
Speculation was rife about his whereabouts - from he has gone out of the country to he has been sent to a neighbouring state by the ruling party to delay receiving the resignation letters.
The issue has now reached Governor H R Bhardwaj as the 13 legislators met and briefed him about the absence of the speaker and sought a probe into it.
The 13 legislators who want to quit the assembly include Public Works Minister C M Udasi and Energy Minister Shobha Karandlaje, who resigned from the Jagadish Shettar cabinet earlier Wednesday.
Udasi asserted that the speaker was absent even though ‘we had told him yesterday (Tuesday) that we will meet him on Wednesday (Wednesday) to give our resignations’.
Udasi, Karandlaje and the 11 legislators waited in the speaker’s chamber for over an hour to submit their resignations from the assembly.
These legislators were angry that the speaker’s office staff was not aware of his whereabouts - whether he is in the country or out of it.
What seems to make the matters worse is that top officials of the speaker’s office were also not present in his chamber, leaving a joint secretary to pacify the agitated legislators.
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