Governor asks HDK to prove majority by 1:30 pm today

BENGALURU: The ruling coalition in Karnataka staring down the barrel after multiple resignations, escaped a trust vote on Thursday with the Speaker adjourning the house till Friday. Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy had moved for a trust vote on Thursday but insisted on an exhaustive debate that the opposition BJP dubbed a stone-walling tactic.

The governor Vajubhai Vala, on a request from a BJP delegation, even urged the Speaker to consider a vote by the end of the day. "We will wait even till midnight," said the BJP's BS Yeddyurappa. The BJP has decided to put up its MPs in the assembly overnight to protest.

Late on Thursday, the governor wrote to Chief Minister Kumaraswamy asking him to prove majority on the floor of the house by 1:30 pm on Friday.

Speaker KR Ramesh Kumar after the Governor's advice has sought legal advice. Seeking the trust vote, Kumaraswamy said the rebel MLAs had cast doubts about the coalition government across the country and "we have to tell the truth." As soon as the motion was moved, Yeddyurappa stood up and said the trust vote process should be completed in a single day.

"The Leader of Opposition seems to be in a hurry," Kumaraswamy taunted Yeddyurappa.

Much of the day was taken up by protests by the Congress over Shrimant Patil, who slipped out of a resort where the party's MPs were staying and surfaced in a hospital in Mumbai.

The Congress alleged that Shrimant Patil had been lured by the BJP to Mumbai, which has been the base of rebel lawmakers who quit the ruling coalition on July 6. The Speaker demanded a report on the "runaway" lawmaker from State Home Minister MB Patil. During the trust vote debate, Congress and JDS lawmakers raised several issues, including the status of the rebel lawmakers and whether they can be disqualified for defying a whip to attend the assembly.

In a hard-hitting speech, Congress troubleshooter DK Shivakumar accused the BJP of "kidnapping" his party lawmakers.

On Wednesday, the Supreme Court said that the speaker would have the last word on the resignations of the rebel lawmakers. At the same time, the court said they cannot be forced to attend the assembly, which blunts the threat of disqualification.

Armed with the Supreme Court order, the rebel lawmakers camping in Mumbai said there was no question of stepping back on their resignations or attending the session. Later on Wednesday evening, however, Congress's Ramalinga Reddy said he would withdraw his resignation.

As many as 16 MLAs - 13 from the Congress and three from JDS - had resigned, while independent MLAs R Shankar and H Nagesh have withdrawn their support to the coalition government, putting the Kumaraswamy-led government in disarray.

One Congress member Ramalinga Reddy retracted, saying he would support the government. The ruling combine's strength is 117- Congress 78, JD(S) 37, BSP 1, and nominated 1, besides the Speaker. With the support of the two independents, the opposition BJP has 107 MLAs in the 225-member House, including the nominated MLA and Speaker.

If the resignations of the rebel MLAs are accepted, the ruling coalition's tally will shrink to 101.