Will approach SC against disqualification: Rebel JD(S) MLA Vishwanath
Pune/Bengaluru, Jul 28: Rebel JD(S) MLA A H Vishwanath, who was disqualified by the Karnataka Speaker on Sunday, said the decision was "against the law" and he and other aggrieved legislators would approach the Supreme Court for redressal on Monday.
Karnataka Assembly Speaker K R Ramesh Kumar on Sunday disqualified 14 more rebel MLAs 11 from the Congress and three from the JD(S) under the anti-defection law till the end of the current term of the House in 2023.
Kumar had disqualified three Congress rebel MLAs on Thursday.
"The disqualification is against the law...just under a whip served on them, you cannot force the legislators to come to the House," Vishwanath told PTI over phone.
"The speaker has disqualified 20 members of the legislature on the grounds that they have not attended the House...so against this decision pronounced by the Speaker, we are approaching the Supreme Court on Monday," the MLA said from an undisclosed location.
The disqualifications came a day ahead of Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa seeking the trust vote in the assembly to prove his majority.
In Bengaluru, another disqualified rebel MLA from Maski, Pratap Gowda Patil, asked the voters in a video message not to panic and said they were confident of emerging victorious in the Supreme Court.
"Dear voters and my well wishers, Speaker has ordered my disqualification from the assembly... there is no need to panic, we are challenging this in the Supreme Court.
I'm confident that we will be victorious in the court," Patil said
Speaking to a local news channel, another disqualified MLA Munirathana said they were aware that they would be disqualified as Congress leaders had threatened them about it.
"... our own party leaders had said we will disqualify if you if (you) go out... we are not small children or we have not gone out without knowledge of others," he said, adding that they would face the action legally.
Alleging that many Congress leaders wanted this coalition government to end, but had not acted on it, Munirathna alleged that leaders within his party did not even cooperate with Kumaraswamy to run the government smoothly.
"They (Congress leaders) are playing a game now, to show that they were loyal to JD(S)...we will reveal everything to people in coming days," he added.
Shivaram Hebbar, who represented Yellapur, alleged in a Facebook post that the Speaker's decision to disqualify the rebels was done in a partisan manner under pressure and the matter would reach the Supreme Court soon.
Expressing confidence of getting justice from the Apex court, he said he has complete faith in his voters and would soon submit himself before the people's court.
"I will soon reveal to you the reasons for my decisions and will take further steps after consulting you," he told his voters and supporters.
The Congress and JDS, whose government collapsed on Tuesday last after rebellion by a section of their MLAs, had made petitions to the speaker to disqualify their errant members.
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J.P. Nadda reviews Tamil Nadu BJP’s preparedness for 2026 Assembly poll
Chennai (PTI): BJP national president and Union Minister J.P. Nadda on Saturday reviewed the preparedness of the Tamil Nadu unit of the party in facing the 2026 Assembly election.
Nadda, who participated in the state core group meeting held here during his one-day visit to the city, advised the party senior functionaries to commence the preparatory work for the upcoming Assembly election and also carry out the organisational work of the party, a senior leader said.
The meeting, held with Tamil Nadu BJP chief and Legislature party leader Nainar Nagenthiran in the chair, was attended by national co-incharge of Tamil Nadu affairs P Sudhakar Reddy, TN unit’s co-convener H Raja, national Mahila Morcha president and legislator Vanathi Srinivasan, and former state presidents: Pon Radhakrishnan and Dr Tamilisai Soundararajan, among others.
"At the meeting, our state president Nainar Nagendran expressed the resolve to oust the DMK government from power in the 2026 election and ensure maximum number of BJP members in the state Assembly," the party’s senior functionary Vinoj P Selvam said.
Nadda, who is the Union Minister for Health, Chemicals and Fertilisers, is in the city to participate in the sixth international conference on Saiva Siddhanta being held under the auspices of the Dharmapuram Adheenam at the SRM Institute of Science & Technology, here.
