Unhappy Congmen set for revenge? BJP sees chance

Bengaluru: Disgruntled Congress MLAs seem set on taking revenge against the party for not giving ministerial berths or plum boards and corporation posts. Fishing in these troubled waters is the opposition BJP which is believed to be making a serious attempt to woo these disgruntled MLAs to bring down the JD(S) Congress coalition government in Karnataka, with insiders aiming to bring down the government after Sankranti.

The majority of the MLAs are from Mumbai-Karnataka and Hyderabad-Karnataka region. Unconfirmed reports suggest that Ramesh Jarkiholi who was dropped from the ministry is one of a number of Congress MLAs who helped the BJP to tap the disgruntled MLAs.

One report suggests that at least 12 MLA have been placed at  different destinations outside Karnataka and that they could take a decision on the next move sometime this week.    

As soon as the number crosses the figure of 15, all the MLAs may resign from the Assembly membership.

This time the Bharatiya Janata Party seems to have taken extra care not to divulge the strategy to bring down the government. Surprisingly, party leader B.S. Yeddyurappa has been kept out of the operation.

Sources associated with one of the disgruntled MLA told Deccan Chronicle that if their plan came through this week, the MLAs would first send their resignation letters to Governor Vajubhai Vala so that he could take cognizance of it and ask Chief Minister to prove his majority on the floor of the house.

Once the coalition government falls, the central government may step in either to form a Bharatiya Janata Party government in Karnataka or keep the assembly under suspended animation so that the Bharatiya Janata Party could think of forming the government after the Lok Sabha elections.

If 16 MLA resigned as planned by the Bharatiya Janata Party, then the house strength would come down to 208 and at that moment, the Bharatiya Janata Party with 104 members in the house, could stake claim to form the government.

Interestingly, Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy who was notified of this development, reportedly refused to make any moves to step in to save his own government.

Transport minister D.C.Tamanna's statement about the the current political situation in the state reflected Mr Kumaraswamy's mood. Sources in the Janata Dal (Secular) said that the chief minister suspected that the hand of coordination committee chairman Siddaramaiah who he believes may have hatched a plot against his government, and that's why he was holding back from bringing it to the Congress high command's attention, to step in and save his government.