End of govt after bypolls: Eshwar Khandre

Bidar: Asserting that the Congress would win all the 15 by-elections due  in December, KPCC working president, Eshwar Khandre claimed on Saturday that the rebel  legislators, who had helped bring down the last coalition government , were in such deep trouble now that they regretted resigning from the state assembly.

Speaking to reporters here, Mr Khandre said the dissident legislators felt badly let down by the BJP after it promised to make them ministers if they resigned. “These legislators had dreamt of getting plum posts, but the BJP has given them a rude shock and they are deeply regretting their actions. They have told me so themselves,” he said.

Exuding confidence that the Congress would win all the 15 seats, he predicted that the Yediyurappa government would fall after the bypolls. “These 15 seats were the strongholds of the Congress. The people will vote considering the history and background of the Congress and not on the basis of the individual leaders,” he contended.

Mr Khandre took exception to the decision of the Election Commission to defer the byelections in the state, claiming that it was acting like an agent of the ruling BJP. “When the matter is pending before the Supreme Court, they make statements in favour of the dissident legislators saying they could contest the by-polls. By acting like an agent of the BJP government at the Centre, the EC has suddenly deferred the polls against all democratic principles and I strongly condemn it,” he added.

While he dismissed reports that some Congress legislators from Bidar district were planning  to join the BJP , he said, “Those who want to go, let them. The party will not stand in their way. It will not suffer any setback if they quit.”

Asked about former minister, Rajashekhar Patil , quitting the Congress, Mr Khandre shot back, “he is my friend and  will not quit”.