SC order on floor test in K'taka assembly 'historic': Congress

New Delhi: Hailing the Supreme Court's order of holding floor test in the Karnataka assembly as historic , the Congress on Friday accused the BJP of being baffled and frustrated as it lacked numbers to prove majority and objected to the appointment of a BJP MLA as the pro tem speaker ahead of the confidence vote tomorrow.

Addressing the media here, Congress leader Abhishek Manu Singhvi contended that a senior most legislator from any party should be appointed as the pro tem speaker as per convention. According

to the Congress, its eight-time MLA RV Deshpande is the senior most lawmaker in the assembly.

It is a historic interim order by the apex court of the country. It is historic because directly, with this degree of specificity it is raised for the first time, the extent of rights and discretion of the Governor to call A' or B' for government formation immediately after the election, Singhvi said.

To a question that the BJP has accused the Congress of being baffled and frustrated to retain power in the southern state, Singhvi said it was ironical and funny for the NDA major to have said so in the face of defeat .He referred to BJP legislature party leader BS Yeddyurappa's counsel Mukul Rohatgi seeking more time from the apex court to prove majority after it ordered floor test to be conducted tomorrow itself. Don't you see the message is clear in that (when Rohatgi asked for more time to prove majority)? Why Monday? To do what you could not do for three days (after Yeddyurappa wrote letter to Governor staking claim to form

government on May 15), Singhvi added. Another aspect of the BJP's frustration, Singhvi said was Attorney General KK Venugopal pitching for the use of secret ballots for confidence vote during the floor test on the instructions of the Centre.

As you know, secret ballot has never ever been used for a confidence vote. But more importantly who will ask for a secret ballot? Why? he asked.

Earlier, Congress's chief spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala welcomed the Supreme Court's order, saying the Constitution has rejected the "unconstitutional" decision of the Karnataka Governor.

"Constitution wins, Democracy restored! BS Yeddyurappa does remain a 1 day CM - Constitution rejects an illegitimate CM as also the unconstitutional decision of Governor of Karnataka (sic)," he said on Twitter. Singhvi, who represented the Congress-JD (S) combine in the apex court, said the "Interim Chief Minister BS Yeddyurappa has been restrained from taking policy decisions till tomorrow".