Karnataka Assembly adjourned

    Bangalore: Another Constitutional crisis is in the offing in Karanataka with incumbent Chief Minister N Dharam Singh refusing to resign after getting the Assembly adjourned sine die. Speaking to the reporters, Singh said that as of now, he was not resigning as the Congress felt betrayed from its ally JD (S). Dharam Singh met Governor TN Chaturvedi and is understood to have asked for more time to prove his majority on the floor of the Assembly. Congress leaders in New Delhi too went belligerent in describing the JD (S) betrayal and accused them of not following the coalition dharma. Elsewhere, rebel JD (S) leader, Kumaraswamy is apparently planning to meet Governor Chaturvedi to stake claim to form the next government with BJP support. Earlier, he had accused the Congress for not giving due credit to his father, JD (S) leader and former Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda. He said that the Congress had not appreciated his fathers secular credentials. Earlier, in the day, the Speaker of Karnataka Assembly, Krishna had to adjourn the House sine die as the Congress MLAs moved into the Well of the House and started agitating. Meanwhile, Constitutional expert, Subhash Kashyap has said that Dharam Singh should gracefully resign, or the Governor should invite the Opposition parties to form the government.

Deve Gowda resigns as JD(S) president

    Bangalore: Former Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda today resigned from the post of Janata Dal (Secular) national President, saying that he was too weak to fight with his son HD Kumaraswamy. Accepting moral responsibility for failing to keep the ruling Congress-Janata Dal (S) combine intact, Deve Gowda said it was only right that he should step down and allow someone more suitable to assume his responsibilities. The former prime minister's announcement has all but certified the eminent collapse of the incumbent Government in Karnataka, which is headed by Chief Minister N Dharam Singh. Television reports said that there was now a possibility of Dharam Singh submitting his resignation before the confidence vote gets underway. The Congress party has also reportedly resigned itself to the possibility of sitting in the opposition in the Karnataka Assembly.

    Calling a press conference, when the debate on the confidence motion was still continuing inside the assembly, Deve Gowda said: "Since I was not able to keep the party united, I am resigning from the party's national president's post." He also announced that the party's national convention will be held on February 2 and the new national president will be elected the next day. Today's event is likely bring an end to a humble farmer's nearly four decade-long political career, though he has said that he will be chalking out his future course of action after discussions with his well-wishers. Meanwhile, the Speaker of the Karnataka Assembly, Sri Krishna has formally accepted HD Kumaraswamy as the interim president of the Janata Dal (Secular), which could pave the way for him to become Karnataka's 23rd Chief Minister. Earlier, Deve Gowda had tried hard to coax his son into rejoining hands with the Congress party as he was not very keen to tie up with 'communal' BJP. Ironically the founder of the party had to resign as 46 of the 59 JD(S) MLAs had lent support to his rebel son. With today's development that will have far greater repercussion on the national politics as BJP along with the rebel JD(S) will be forming the government in Karnataka for the first time. However, at the time of the filing of this report, the scene inside the assembly was said to be chaotic interspersed with bedlam. The speaker has assured the opposition members that the voting will be over by midnight and all the action will be in accordance to the provision of the Constitution.

Ruckus in Karnataka Assembly over trust vote
by K.G.Vasuki

     Bangalore: Pandemonium broke out in the Karnataka Assembly as soon as it met on Friday for the crucial confidence motion of the Congress-Janata Dal (Secular) Government) led by Congress Chief Minister N.Dharma Singh. Members of the House opposed the presence of special observers of Karnataka Governor T.Chaturvedi even as the Congress initiated a last ditch effort to stabilise the future of the incumbent state government by proposing the adoption of the "Maharashtra model" of governance to the Janata Dal (Secular) leader and former Prime Minister, H D Deve Gowda.

   The ruckus in the House delayed the confidence motion debate, and it only came to an end with the exit of the Governor's representatives. Congress Minister for Water Resources and Transport Mallikarjuna Kharge said the presence of the officials raised "suspicion" and urged the Speaker of the House to take the issue seriously. The Speaker replied that he was considering the matter and had taken note of the "serious issues" raised by the members. After meeting with Chief Minister Dharam Singh and Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee, AICC General Secretary in charge of Karnataka affairs, A K Antony told the reporters that, "We are willing to agree for the Maharashtra government formula. We have agreed for that to save the government." According to the 'Maharashtra model' the post of Chief Minister will remain with the Congress, but the important portfolios will go to the JD(S) members. "As per the proposal, the Chief Minister would continue to be from the Congress and the key Home and Water Resources Portfolios would be offered to the JD(S). The Congress would have Industry and Revenue portfolios too," said Antony. The proposal does not seem to have cut ice with JD(S) as Antony said that he had not received any response from the JD(S) leader. However, sources revealed that efforts were still on to coax rebel H.D.Kumaraswamy to join hands with the Congress as Gowda senior is in constant touch with Union Defence Minister and senior Congress leader, Pranab Mukherjee. Contradictory reports of Kumaraswamy issuing whip to his members to vote against the motion is running amok in the galleries of assembly as everyone seems to be tight-lipped on the issue. As the House met today, Kumaraswamy and rebel JD(S) members were seen seated along with BJP and JDU MLAs in the assembly. The number of MLAs alongside Kumaraswamy is 127 which is way above the 113 half-way mark to form the next Government in the 224- member assembly.

Dharam Singh delaying motion: Naidu

     Karnataka: Senior Bharatiya Janata Party leader M.Venkaiah Naidu on Friday accused the Dharam Singh-led Congress- Janata Dal (Secular) Government of delaying moving the motion of confidence in the State Assembly to buy time. He expressed surprise that the Congress motion had not even been listed on the agenda of business of the Karnataka Assembly. "As a parliamentarian, I was not able to understand that the House did not meet upto 10:52 or 11 am, when it was summoned at 10 'o' clock. We found fault with the Government in this regard. We know that the government is duty bound to see that the House transacts its business. It was also surprising that we found in today's business that there was no mention of the Congress motion," said Naidu. Naidu said the BJP leaders would meet Governor T N Chaturvedi and urge him to dismiss the government as it had been reduced to a minority, "We believe that the Governor should dismiss the Chief Minister forthwith before the adjournment of the House today," he added. Naidu also said that the BJP was not happy with the one-week time given by the Governor for the Chief Minister to prove his majority. In the 224-member assembly, the BJP has 79 members and its electoral ally JD (U) five. The JD (S) rebel group has 39 members with five independents supporting them -- all together constituting 128, well above the 113 mark required to command majority.

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