Bengaluru: The future of the coalition government of Congress and JD(S) in Karnataka seems to be bleak after two MLAs from the Congress party resigned from the Assembly. Anand Singh representing Vijayanagar constituency and Ramesh Jarkiholi representing Gokak were the two Congress leaders who resigned.
Anand Singh said he decided to give in his papers after he was disappointed with the sale of 3,667 acres of land to JSW Steel and also because the government did not meet his demand for forming a new district of Vijayanagar. He said he was upset about the government’s decision in both the cases.
Ramesh Jarkiholi, who was a senior leader of the Congress party, was at loggerheads with other Congress leaders for long. He says he was ignored by the party and his seniority was not respected when he was dropped from the Cabinet last year.
Jarkiholi had earlier threatened that he along with other Congress MLAs would quit together which would lead to a collapse of the coalition government.
The Chief Minister and JD(S) leader, H. D. Kumaraswamy, is currently in the United States participating in a foundation lay ceremony of a temple. After hearing of the news of the double resignation, he tweeted to say that he was aware of the crisis.
He tweeted, ” The foundation laying of Kalabhairaveshwara Temple is going on at New Jersey under the aegis of Swamiji. I am watching all the developments from here. BJP is day dreaming to destabilise the government.”
Karnataka BJP leader and former Chief Minister, B. S. Yeddyurappa, said that the BJP is not trying to topple the government but it will collapse on its own as there is widespread dissatisfaction in the coalition.
Yeddyurappa said, “Only after the collapse of this government we can explore the constitutional provisions to form the government. There is no question of elections. We are a strong force of 105 members and we have every right to make a claim for forming the government if the present one collapses. “
