Karnataka: Parties work out strategy for the expected trust vote Monday
Bengaluru, July 20: With the fate of the H D Kumaraswamy led wobbly coalition government in Karnataka likely to be decided on Monday, political parties are silently preparing their strategy and plan of action for the crucial floor test.
While hectic parleys continued in coalition circles with leaders of both Congress and JD(S) holding meetings, state BJP chief B S Yeddyurappa too met party MLAs and held discussions on the plan of action when the assembly resumes on Monday.
The coalition leaders are also said to be making last ditch efforts to reach out to rebel legislators camped in Mumbai, whose resignations have pushed the government to the brink of collapse.
In a face-off with Governor Vajubhai Vala, the JDS-Congress government had defied the two deadlines set by him to demonstrate its majority in the Assembly Friday itself, worsening the political logjam.
"Despite the Governor's directive to conclude the confidence motion process on Friday itself, unnecessarily time was wasted by allowing legislators to speak for hours. They don't have majority and are committing the sin of wasting time. What action Governor will take, it is left to him," Yeddyurappa told reporters here Saturday.
Claiming that the Congress-JD(S) coalition had just 98 legislators and BJP 106 MLAs, he said after having lost the majority, Kumaraswamy has no moral right to continue as CM.
"Prove majority if you have or else resign and go,this is our demand. Without resigning, they are wasting time. It seems that they are in an illusion about getting relief from the Supreme Court on Monday," he said, indicating about Congress and Chief Minister's petition to the apex court.
Kumaraswamy and the Congress have moved the apex court, accusing the Governor of interfering with assembly proceedings when the debate on the trust vote was on and sought clarification on its July 17 order causing hindrance in issuing whip to the legislators.
The court had held that the MLAs cannot be compelled to participate in the Assembly proceedings.
Meanwhile, rebel Congress-JD(S) MLAs camped in Mumbai are firm on their stand about resignation and that there was no question of going back.
Amid all these, Kumaraswamy, Deputy Chief Minister G Parameshwara and Minister D K Shivakumar held discussions.
Ahead of Monday's vote of confidence Congress Legislature Party leader Siddaramaiah has convened the legislature party meeting on Sunday evening.
Speaking to reporters, Shivakumar said "we have said we will prove majority on Monday,we will do it...we are confident that we will get the support. We are not buying any time.
Wasn't Vajpayee given ten days during the trust vote?"
Reiterating his charge that coalition legislators were under confinement in Mumbai, he said, "I'm saying even today our MLAs are at gunpoint, their phones have been taken away from them, they are not allowed to speak to anybody."
He even said MLAs in Mumbai have been separated, with one group in Lonavala, and the others holed up elsewhere.
KPCC Working President Eshwar Khandre alleged that "horse trading" was still on by BJP, who even tried to lure Minister and Bidar North MLA Rahim Khan.
Meanwhile, discussions between JD(S) patriarch H D Deve Gowda and senior Congress leader Ramalinga Reddy, who recently withdrew his resignation, led to speculations that some kind of backroom efforts were still on to woo back some legislators, in a last bid to save the government.
Describing it as a "casual visit", Reddy said at least three Bengaluru MLAs Munirathna, S T Somashekar and Byrathi Basavaraj were not currently in contact with him and he too had not been able to reach out to them.
Conceding that he had discussed about resignation with three MLAs, but withdrew it after party leaders requested him not to leave and withdraw it, Reddy said he tried to speak to Somashekar and inform him about the developments.
"I have been trying to contact them since Monday to inform them of my decision to withdraw, but could not. Finally I decided to withdraw...though phone rang, they did not pick," he said,as he ruled out any offer by Gowda to make him Deputy CM on getting back the rebel MLAs.
The three Congress MLAs from Bengaluru had called Reddy their leader when they resigned.
With the Chief Minister not following his directive, all eyes are now on Governor Vajubhai Vala on his next course of action.
However, before adjourning the house towards the fag end of the day on Friday, Speaker Ramesh Kumar had made it clear that a finality would be put to the confidence motion moved by Kumaraswamy on Monday and the matter would not be prolonged under any circumstances,to which the government agreed agreed.
Confirming that motion will be put to vote on Monday, state Congress Chief Dinesh Gundu Rao said the trust vote would be put to vote after discussion on Monday and everything would be decided. There was no question of postponing it.
"We have committed in front of the Speaker and the House.
People of the state will also need clarity, so it was us who moved the motion.
The Supreme Court order resulted in confusion over the whip and hence caused the delay," he said, but added that the Governor's direction was not accordance with law.
As many as 16 MLAs 13 from Congress and three from JDS had resigned, while independent MLAs R Shankar and H Nagesh have withdrawn support to the coalition government, putting the government on edge.
One Congress member Ramalinga Reddy retracted, saying he would support the government.
The ruling combine's strength is 117 Congress 78, JD(S) 37, BSP 1, and nominated 1, besides the Speaker.
With the support of the two independents, the opposition BJP has 107 MLAs in the 225-member House, including the nominated MLA and Speaker.
If the resignations of 15 MLAs (12 from Congress and 3 from JDS) are accepted or if they stay away, the ruling coalition's tally will plummet to 101, (excluding the Speaker) reducing the government to a minority.
The coalition strength would fall further to 98 as claimed by Yeddyurappa, as two Congress MLAs are unlikely to attend due to health reasons, while BSP MLA Mahesh, is not showing up, amid reports he was keeping away as he has not received any directions from the party leader Mayawati on the stand to be taken on the trust vote.
BJP's strength is also likely to come down to 106, as Shankar, who has extended support to the saffron party, will not attend the session, according to sources, fearing poaching by Congress as Speaker has not accepted his request for his seating arrangement along with the opposition.
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Tension grips Bangladesh after unrest over uprising leader’s death; vandalism at several places
Dhaka (PTI): Bangladesh interim government on Friday urged citizens to resist violence by “a few fringe elements” as the body of a prominent July Uprising leader, who died in Singapore six days after he was shot, reached the capital.
Various parts of the country were rocked Thursday night by attacks and vandalism, including stone-hurling at the Assistant Indian High Commissioner's residence in Chattogram, after Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus confirmed Sharif Osman Hadi's death in a televised address to the nation.
There were, however, no reports of fresh violence since Friday morning.
Hadi, one of the leaders who had taken part in the student-led protests last year – termed as July Uprising - and a candidate for the scheduled February 12 general elections, died while undergoing treatment at a Singapore hospital six days after he was shot by unidentified men.
Body of Hadi, who was the spokesperson of the Inqilab Mancha, arrived at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport (HSIA) at around 6 pm on a Biman Bangladesh Airlines flight, amid tight security and widespread public mourning, state-run news agency Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha (BSS) said quoting Biman General Manager (Public Relations) Boshra Islam.
Members of the Bangladesh Army, Armed Forces Battalion (AFB) and police were deployed in large numbers to maintain security when Hadi's body was taken out of the airport, it added.
Hadi's passing away at the Singapore General Hospital triggered widespread mourning across political circles, activists of Inqilab Mancha and the general public, BSS said.
Yunus has declared a one-day state mourning on Saturday following Hadi's death.
Earlier on Thursday, soon after Yunus' announcement, protesters took to the streets and attacked offices of leading newspapers, vandalised 32 Dhanmandi with hammers, and also demolished an office of deposed prime minister Sheikh Hasina's disbanded Awami League party in Rajshahi city.
Regarded as the centre point of Bangladesh’s pre-independence struggle for autonomy for decades, 32 Dhanmandi was largely demolished with excavators on February 5 this year. It was also set on fire soon after the August 5, 2024 fall of the then Awami League government and Hasina fleeing to India.
Protesters also hurled bricks and stones at the residence of the Assistant Indian High Commissioner in Chattogram at 1:30 am, but failed to cause any damage.
Police responded with tear gas and baton charges, dispersing the crowd and detaining 12 protesters. A few injuries were also reported.
Senior officials assured the assistant high commissioner of enhanced security.
In Dhaka, protesters attacked the office of a leading cultural group, Chhayanaut, and brought out the furniture, setting it on fire.
Sporadic violence was also reported from other parts of the country overnight.
Meanwhile, after the flight from Singapore landed in Dhaka, local media reports and videos shared on social media showed Hadi's followers lining up on both sides of the road from the airport to Shahbagh to receive him before his coffin was brought to the Dhaka University Central Mosque for a public meeting.
In a Facebook post, Inqilab Mancha announced that a janaza will be held in Bangladesh on Saturday after Zuhr prayers (afternoon) at Manik Mia Avenue in the capital.
Hadi was shot in the head last week by masked gunmen as he initiated his election campaign at central Dhaka’s Bijoynagar area. He died while undergoing treatment at a Singapore hospital after fighting for his life for six days.
On Thursday night, the National Citizen Party (NCP), a large offshoot of Students Against Discrimination (SAD) that led the July Uprising, which ousted the Hasina-led government, joined a mourning procession on the Dhaka University campus.
Supporters of the group chanted anti-India slogans alleging that Hadi’s assailants fled to India after committing the murder. They called upon the interim government to close the Indian high commission until they were returned.
“The interim government, until India returns assassins of Hadi Bhai, the Indian High Commission to Bangladesh will remain closed. Now or Never. We are in a war!” said Sarjis Alm, a key leader of NCP.
Starting Thursday through night, a group of people, believed to be part of the protesters, also attacked the offices of Bangla newspaper Prothom Alo’s office and the nearby Daily Star at the capital's Karwan Bazar, near the Shahbagh intersection.
Reports said they vandalised several floors while journalists and staff of the newspaper were trapped inside, and the mob ignited a fire in front of the building.
Critically ill former prime minister Khaleda Zia's Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) strongly condemned the vandalism and said that the Yunus-led interim government will have to shoulder its responsibility.
In his address on Thursday, Yunus vowed to bring those involved in Hadi's brutal murder to justice quickly, saying, “No leniency will be shown” to the killers.
“I sincerely call upon all citizens – keep your patience and restraint,” he said.
“No one can stop the democratic progress of this country through threat, terrorist activities or bloodshed,” he said, adding that the responsibility of realising Hadi's dream lies on the shoulders of the entire.
