BJP govt in Karna in crisis, CM to prove majority on Oct 11

Bangalore, Oct 6 (PTI) The BJP Government in Karnataka
Wednesday plunged into crisis being reduced to a minority
after 19 MLAs withdrew support, prompting Governor H R
Bhardwaj to ask Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa to prove his
majority in the Assembly before October 12.

The first-ever saffron Government in the South was
rocked by the action of 19 MLAs--14 from BJP and five
Independents--who revolted against Yeddyurappa's leadership
disatisfied with the recent cabinet expansion and gave a
letter to the Governor withdrawing support to him.
The rebel MLAs included seven ministers of whom four were
Independents who were sacked earlier in the day.
Hours after the revolt, Yeddurappa had a meeting with
Bharadwaj and told him he was ready to face the trial of
strength on October 11, one day ahead of the deadline set by
the Governor for the 29-month-old government.
"I have requested the Governor to convene the special
session on October 11 to face the trial of strength", he told
the media after meeting Bhardwaj at Raj Bhavan.
Yeddyurappa expressed confidence of proving the majority
enjoyed by his government.
In the 224-member Assembly, BJP and Independents
together had a strength of 123 and with Wednesday's
developments it has been reduced to 104 reducing the ruling
party to a minority. BJP requires the support of 113 members
to prove its majority. BJP earlier had 117 MLAs including the
Speaker, followed by Congress 73, JDS 28 and independents six.
Acting quickly to save his government, Yeddyurappa
dangled the carrot of ministry reshuffle with immediate effect
to appease the rebels and assured another exercise next year
to induct new faces.
In a firefighting exercise, he also rushed mining
magnate and Tourism Minister G Janardhana Reddy to pacify the
agitated MLAs, who are camping near Chennai. Interestingly,
Reddy had led the dissident campaign against Yeddyurappa not
long ago.
Emerging from the about two-and-half hours discussions
with the rebel MLAs at the airport here, Reddy told reporters
there was no threat to the government and he would convey the
dissidents' demands to party high command. The rebels later
left for Kochi.
Reddy also said the dissidents have sought two more days
time to respond to the offers made to them by Yeddyurappa to
change their decision.
The dissident MLAs said Yeddyurappa's "dictatorial"
attitude and their "utter neglect" were responsible for their
decision.
Minister for Fisheries Anand Asnotikar and Minister for
Animal Husbandry P M Narendra Swamy, who was among those
sacked, deputed by the rebels, called on Bhardwaj and
submitted the list of the MLAs who withdrew support.
With the government reduced to a minority, Bhardwaj
directed Yeddyurappa to prove his majority on the floor of the
House on or before October 12 by 5 pm.
Earlier, anticipating trouble Yeddyurappa recommended to
the Governor to dismiss four ministers -- Shivaraj Tangadagi,
D Sudhakar, P M Narendra Swamy and Venkataramanappa from the
ministry, which was accepted by Bhardwaj. These four elected
as independents had lent their support to Yeddyurappa after
the BJP fell short of majority after the assembly elections.
Apart from the four axed ministers, other ministers
who joined the rebels are, M P Renukacharya, now leading the
dissident group, Asnotikar and Balachandra Jarkiholi. PTI
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