If delay of Confidence Motion unethical, is Operation Lotus ethical, asks Krishna Byre Gowda
Bengaluru: "Will the BJP leaders, who term the delay of Confidence Motion as unethical, justify the 'Operation Lotus' as ethical", Minister Krishna Byre Gowda asked in the House.
Participating in the continued debate in the Assembly here on Monday, the Minister explained in detail the audio and video records of the discussion between the disgruntled MLAs and the BJP leaders and the 'Operation Lotus'. BJP leaders have been demanding the Confidence Motion if the coalition leaders have ethics. On what ethical ground they were asking Confidence Motion? The BJP leaders were in a hurry to form the government by toppling the coalition government through 'Operation Lotus', he criticized.
BJP leaders have been claiming that they do not have any relationship with the MLAs who resigned from their positions. But Gokak MLA Ramesh Jarakiholi was in contact with BJP leaders for the last six-seven months. He had supported the BJP in the Lok Sabha elections. The Congress has already lodged complaint against him with the Speaker, he said.
An audio record of Hirekerur MLA BC Patil speaking to a BJP leader was disclosed, and in which, he was offered Rs 25 crore and ministerial berth. It was not imagination. The Congress MLA was directly lured with money and position and it was disclosed, he said.
"After failing to protect your party MLAs, you are asking me to give pass marks. How could I give the marks? Instead of researching in the MLAs who have given the resignation, if you were able to bring back four to five MLAs, I would not have this difficulty".
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CM Siddaramaiah joins Minister Satish Jarkiholi's dinner amid leadership speculation
Belagavi (PTI): Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, along with a group of Ministers and legislators, attended a dinner hosted by senior Minister Satish Jarkiholi here on December 18, official sources said.
The dinner meeting held at the residence of Jarkiholi, who is considered close to Siddaramaiah, has sparked fresh speculations amid the ongoing power tussle within the ruling Congress over the CM post.
According to sources, the attendees included Ministers G Parameshwara, H C Mahadevappa, B Z Zameer Ahmed Khan, M C Sudhakar, and legislators A S Ponnanna, Naseer Ahmed. All of them are considered close to Siddaramaiah.
The gathering followed a dinner on the night of December 17, where Jarkiholi hosted over thirty “like-minded” legislators at a hotel here.
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While Siddaramaiah skipped it, his son and MLC Yathindra Siddaramaiah, confidant and MLA K N Rajanna, were among those who were present.
Responding to a question from reporters, regarding the dinner meet, Deputy CM D K Shivakumar on Friday asked,"What's wrong in meeting for dinner?"
"Let them have dinner, it's a happy thing. Can we say don't have dinner?"
When pointed out that only some people were present at the meeting, Shivakumar replied, "Why should I comment on it? They met over dinner. We have all come from other places (to Belagavi for the session). What's wrong if everyone meets (over dinner)?"
The dinner meetings come a week after over 30 Congress legislators, including some Ministers, met for dinner along with Shivakumar on the outskirts of Belagavi.
While some attendees have dismissed the meetings as "casual dinners" during the ongoing winter session of the state legislature, others suggested that political developments in the state were discussed.
The power tussle within the ruling party has intensified amid speculations about a change in chief minister in the state, after the Congress government reached the halfway mark of its five-year term on November 20. The speculation was fuelled by a "power-sharing" pact between Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar in 2023.
However, both CM and Deputy CM had recently held breakfast meetings at each other's residences, on the instructions of the high command, which was seen as a move to pause the leadership tussle between the two and to signal Siddaramaiah's continuation as the CM for the time being, keeping in mind the Belagavi legislature session from December 8.
The winter session of the legislature is scheduled to conclude on Friday.
