State Congress to seek disqualification of 11 MLAs | Karnataka crisis Live Updates
Politics in Karnataka has continued to be in a turmoil for the last couple of days, with hectic parleys by the ruling alliance in intra and inter mode. Stay tuned to this space as we bring to live and latest updates on the Karnataka crisis.
As the opposition raised slogans in the Lok Sabha that the BJP is trying to topple the JD-S-Congress Karnataka government, former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah sought disqualification of rebel MLAs for 'anti-party' activities.
In the Parliament the opposition staged a walkout in protest of the developments in the state as Siddaramaiah said here: "BJP has used money power to poach our MLAs."
Speaking at a press conference, the Congress leader said the party would sit-in on a one hour token dharna and then meet Speaker KR Ramesh Kumar and also carry out a cabinet reshuffle.
As the state politics continued to be in a turmoil for the last couple of days, with hectic parleys by the ruling alliance in intra and inter mode, BJP's Shobha Karandlaje said only the Governor could take a call in case the crisis further worsens.
Here are the LIVE Updates on the Karnataka crisis:02:50 pm: "I have written to the governor that none of the rebel MLAs have met me. He has expressed confidence that I'll uphold constitutional norms. Out of 13 resignations, eight are not according to law. I've given them time to present themselves before me," says Karnataka Assembly Speaker KR Ramesh Kumar.
02:20 pm: BJP workers in Dharwad stage protest demanding the resignation of CM HD Kumaraswamy and formation of BJP government in the state.
02:19 pm: "Congress and JDS MLAs don't have faith in their own leaders and government. We are not behind any MLAs from Congress or JDS," says Union Minister and BJP leader DV Sadananda Gowda.
01:36 pm: Congress leaders Ghulam Nabi Azad and BK Hariprasad to go to Bengaluru today
01:10 pm: Members of Youth Congress stage a protest in Delhi over the political situation in Karnataka
01:00 pm: Karnataka Congress to seek disqualification of 11 MLAs
12:53 pm: Congress leader Roshan Baig has resigned from the post of MLA
12:45 pm: Congress leaders hold protest in front of Mahatma Gandhi statute in Vidhana Soudha
12:43 pm: "It has been a habit of BJP to destabilise the government. This is undemocratic. People haven't given mandate to BJP to form the government. People have given more votes to us. Both JD(S) and Congress together got more than 57% of votes," says Siddaramaiah.
12:37 pm: Rajnath Singh stresses, yet again, that BJP has got nothing to do with whatever is happening in Karnataka
12:31 pm: Congress MPs in Lok Sabha stage a walkout in protest against the political situation in Karnataka.
12:29 pm: "Poaching politics should be stopped forever," Congress MP Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury says in the Lok Sabha.
12:26 pm: The members of Congress hold a protest march in Kalaburagi over the political situation in the state.
11:59 am: "The clause says if the Speaker is convinced that the resignations are voluntary and genuine he can accept otherwise... I don't know, I am not a well-read man. I have to see," says Karnataka Assembly Speaker, KR Ramesh Kumar on the resignation of Karnataka MLAs
11:53 am: Karnataka Assembly Speaker, on if the resignation of Karnataka MLAs has been accepted, says "I've certain rules, 'll go by that. Then the decision will be taken. I've to be responsible. Certain things in law are implied. Office of Speaker should behave responsibly. No time-frame is mentioned there."
11:41 am: Bengaluru: Youth Congress workers march from Cubbon Park to Raj Bhawan
11:08 am: Mr Rajnath Singh is saying that 'we are nowhere bothered, we are not interested, we don't know about this' (political situation in Karnataka). BS Yeddyurappa is also saying the same, but he is sending his PA to pick up all our Ministers, Congress' DK Shivakumar
11:06 am: I am confident that the govt will survive and the government will stay. That I am confident about, says Karnataka Congress President Dinesh Gundu Rao
11:02 am: I am nowhere related to the current political developments. I am acting as per the Constitution. Till now, no MLA has sought an appointment with me. If anyone wants to meet me, I will be available in my office, says Karnataka Assembly Speaker KR Ramesh Kumar
11:00 am: Congress leader MTB Nagaraj is not attending the Congress CLP meeting today due to ill health
10:39 am: Congress' CLP meeting underway at Vidhana Soudha in Bengaluru
10:14 am: Siddaramaiah, Priyank Kharge and other Congress leaders arrive for Congress Legislative Party meeting at Vidhana Soudha in Bengaluru
09:56 am: Bengaluru: BJP leaders Murugesh Nirani, Umesh Katti, JC Madhuswamy and K Ratna Prabha arrive at BS Yeddyurappa's residence
09:30 am: Congress MLAs who are staying in Mumbai had planned to shift to Pune and Goa are now staying back at an undisclosed location in Mumbai
WHAT HAS HAPPENED SO FARSpeaker Ramesh Kumar has listed the matter while rebel MLAs skipped a crucial Congress Legislative Party meeting at the Vidhana Soudha earlier in the day.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was to stage protests across Karnataka during the day demanding Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy's resignation as his coalition government lost majority following the resignation of 14 Congress-JD-S legislators and two Ministers, a party official said.
Of the 14 lawmakers who resigned, 11 belong to the Congress and three Janata Dal-Secular (JD-S). While 10 Congress MLAs resigned on July 6, one (Anand Singh) resigned on July 1.
The 11 rebel Congress MLAs skipped the party's legislature meeting. "None of the rebel legislators turned up for the Congress Legislature Party (CLP) meeting despite giving them a notice on July 7 to be present at it in the Vidhan Soudha (state Secretariat)," party spokesman Ravi Gowda told IANS here.
Of the party's 78 legislators, Gowda said about 60 of them were at the meeting while five to six had informed the CLP leader (Siddaramaiah) in advance of their inability to attend.
The rebel lawmakers who resigned and skipped the meeting are Ramalinga Reddy, S.T. Somashekar, Bayrati Basavaraj, Munirathna, Pratapgauda Patil, B.C. Patil, Ramesh Jarkiholi, Shivram Hebbar, Mahesh Kumatahalli, S.N. Subba Reddy and Anand Singh.
The others absent legislators were Roshan Baig, K. Sudhakar, Housing Minister M.T.B. Nagaraj and B.K. Sangameshwar.
Baig, who represents the Shivajinagar Assembly seat in the city centre, was suspended on June 19 from Congress for his alleged anti-party activities.
Of the 12 rebels, 10 of them flew to Mumbai on July 6 after submitting their resignations to the secretary of Assembly Speaker K.R. Ramesh Kumar in his absence and meeting state Governor Vajubhai Vala at the Raj Bhavan here.
Reddy, who represents the BTM Layout constituency in Bengaluru, remained at home in the city's southern suburb.
Small-Scale Industries Minister and Independent H. Nagesh and Municipalities Administration Minister and KPJP legislator R. Shankar resigned from the cabinet and withdrew support to the 13-month coalition government on Monday.
"If the Speaker (K.R. Ramesh Kumar) accepts the resignations of all the rebels on Tuesday, Kumaraswamy will have no option but face the floor test for a trial of strength to prove if his government has majority," Madhusudan said.
In the 225-member Assembly, the Congress has 79 legislators excluding the Speaker, JD-S 39, BJP 105, while one each from the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), Karnataka Pragnyavantha Janatha Party (KPJP) and Independent.
As the nominated member from the Anglo-Christian community does not have voting rights, the half-way mark (113) is required for simple majority.
With the Independent and KPJP member withdrawing support, the government's strength is reduced to 116, as BSP member N. Mahesh is an ally of the JD-S, three more than the halfway mark.
In the event of the Speaker accepting the resignations of all the 14 Congress-JD-S rebels, the government's strength will reduce to 101 from 115 (78+37) and that of Assembly to 211, with 106 as the halfway mark for simple majority.
The Congress Legislature Party (CLP) leader Siddaramaiah has urged the rebels to attend the CLP meeting he has conveyed during the day ahead of the 10-day monsoon session of the state legislature from Friday.
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Video: Congress-JDS govt shifts 14 of its MLAs from Mumbai to Goa as one threatens to join BJP