Section 144 imposed near hotel where Karnataka rebel MLAs are staying
Mumbai: Mumbai Police on Wednesday imposed prohibitory orders near the hotel where the rebel Congress and JD(S) MLAs from Karnataka are staying, an official said.
Congress leader and Karnataka minister D K Shivakumar was earlier prevented from entering the Renaissance Hotel in Powai area when he insisted on meeting the rebel MLAs in a desperate bid to pull the Congress-JD(S) government from the brink of collapse..
"We have invoked Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC) Section 144 near the hotel," a senior police official said. Section 144 of the CrPC prohibits an assembly of more than four persons in an area.
Shivakumar and his supporters, however, refused to leave the place.
There was high drama as security personnel, camera crews, media personnel and political supporters jostled with each other outside the luxury hotel. Another group shouted slogans such as "Shivakumar go back".
As the showdown intensified, an e-mail from the hotel to a Ms Hetavi revealed a room had been booked but the reservation was cancelled due to "some emergency".
Ten of the 12 MLAs in the hotel have written to Mumbai Police, saying they feared a threat to their lives and Shivakumar should be prevented from entering the hotel.
Meanwhile, Congress leader Milind Deora alleged that the BJP was "sponsoring this sabotage".
"I urge the Karnataka MLAs to return to Bengaluru & resolve the matter constitutionally. BJP is sponsoring this sabotage by misusing its power in Maharashtra," Deora, who earlier resigned as Mumbai Congress president, said in a tweet.
He also extended his support to Shivakumar, who is currently outside the hotel where the rebel MLAs are staying.
"I have spoken to @DKShivakumar ji & assured him that local Congress leaders & workers are available to lend any support," he said in the same tweet.
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'Will do whatever the party asks me to': Shivakumar on Odisha Cong MLAs camping in Bengaluru
Bengaluru (PTI): Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar on Friday said though he had not brought the Congress MLAs from Odisha to Bengaluru ahead of the Rajya Sabha elections in that state, he will follow the party's directives.
His remarks come after a group of Odisha Congress legislators were moved to Bengaluru amid apprehensions of cross-voting in the March 16 biennial election.
According to party insiders, Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister and state Congress president D K Shivakumar oversaw the logistical arrangements for their stay in the city.
The legislators are currently staying at the resort facility of an amusement park, located about 35 kms from Bengaluru.
Congress sources said the MLAs are expected to remain there until Monday morning before returning to Bhubaneswar to participate in the voting for the Rajya Sabha election.
Speaking to reporters in Bengaluru, Shivakumar said he did not bring them, though he will do whatever the party leadership asks him to.
“Look, whatever the party asks us to do, we must do. These things are happening in every state across the country; it’s nothing new. Since they (Odisha MLAs) have come, I will meet them. They asked me for time, but I told them not to come here (Vidhana Soudha) because the Assembly session is going on. I said I would come after finishing the Assembly work,” the Deputy CM said.
According to party sources, around eight MLAs from the party’s Odisha unit were flown from Bhubaneswar to Bengaluru late on Thursday night and have been accommodated at a resort on the outskirts of the city.
Six more legislators from Odisha along with their Congress Odisha unit president will be reaching Bengaluru in the night.
The move, party insiders said, is aimed at ensuring unity among the legislators in the run-up to the election.
Sources added that the decision was taken as a precautionary measure after the BJP fielded a second candidate for the Rajya Sabha seat, triggering intense political manoeuvring in the state.
“There were concerns about possible cross-voting and attempts to influence MLAs. As a safeguard, the leadership decided to move them out of the state until the voting,” a Congress functionary said.
“Six more MLAs and their party president are expected to arrive in Bengaluru by Friday night.”
The Congress currently has 14 MLAs in the Odisha Assembly and requires additional support to ensure the success of its Rajya Sabha nominee.
Sources said the party leadership feared possible political bargaining and inducements involving legislators from different parties ahead of the poll.
