Red faces as independent Karnataka MLAs fly back
Five independent Karnataka MLAs are returning home one by one by different flights.
Bengaluru: Having faced intense embarrassment following the media expose on how they allowed themselves to be whisked away to Mumbai ahead of the Rajya Sabha polls, five independent Karnataka MLAs are returning home one by one by different flights. This they feel, will dispel the notion that they were taken to a Mumbai hotel by the Congress party to safeguard them from poaching by the BJP and JD(S).
As part of this plan, Independent MLA, Mankalu Vaidya returned from Mumbai and promptly appeared before the media to claim that he was innocent and no one including Chief Minister Siddaramaiah had tried to induce him to cast his vote for the party.
The nation-wide condemnation of the Cash for vote scandal, had had a decisive effect with three Congress MLAs who reportedly orchestrated Operation Airlift - S. T. Somashekhar, Muniratna Naidu and Byrathy Basavaraju – asked to split and return home to give an impression that they were in Mumbai for personal work.
Meanwhile, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and KPCC president Dr G. Parameshwar directed Congress MLAs to remain in Bengaluru for the next three days till the Legislative Council and Rajya Sabha polls are over. The CM has even hosted a dinner for party MLAs and Independents on Thursday.