Today Karnataka government is scheduled to present the 2019 state budget before the assembly. But, amid the speculations of Congress- JD(S) coalition having dearth of MLAs to support the budget, it has issued whip requiring all its MLAs to be present during the session, failing which they can be disqualified from contesting polls for the next six years.
Ramesh Jarkiholi, Mahesh Kamitalli, Umesh Jadhav and B Nagendra have repeatedly shown rebellious tendencies against the coalition, as all of them skipped the first day of budget session on February 7, defying the party whip. One of the MLAs, Umesh Jadav has been removed as the chairman of the Warehouse Corporation, after he repeatedly skipped the Congress Legislative Party meetings.
As the 4 Congress MLAs continued to remain absent from the budget session, the CLP led by Siddaramaiah has decided to act against them. Siddaramaiah today stated that he will meet speaker KL Ramesh and ask him to initiate action against the four MLAs under the anti-defection law.
Before the budget, CM Kumaraswamy addressed a press conference slamming BJP and its state leader Yeddyurappa, for allegedly indulging in horse-trading with the coalition’s MLAs. He also released an alleged audiotape between leader Yeddyurappa and JD(S) MLA Naganagowda Kandukar’as son Sharna Gouda. In the tape, a voice, that he alleged was that of a BJP leader is heard offering the JD(S) leader with Rs 25 lakh money and ministerial birth, in lieu of his father’s defection from the coalition. CM Kumaraswamy said that the audio tape is a proof of the large conspiracy of the BJP called ‘Operation Kamal’ or ‘Operation Lotus’, under which it is trying compelling coalition lawmakers to defect, by offering sops and ministerial berths.
In a desperate attempt to save his govt full time movie producer turned part time CM @hd_kumaraswamy has used his connection to mimic @BSYBJP’s voice.
Your fake hit & run allegations are not something new.
BTW here is one of your audiohttps://t.co/1ZME0AZF3X
— BJP Karnataka (@BJP4Karnataka) February 8, 2019
The tape was immediately rubbished by Yeddyurappa and state unit of BJP.
