The rebel MLAs had moved the Supreme Court claiming that the Speaker was deliberately withholding their resignations On the apex court orders thereafter, they flew back to Bengaluru on a chartered flight from Mumbai where they were holed up since July 6 to meet the Speaker. While the resignations of two of the 10 MLAs had been declared to be in the proper format on July 9, the Speaker Thursday perused the fresh resignations of eight others and found them in order.
“I am looking into their resignations. They will continue to be legislators of their party. The issue of whip is left to the party. All as per our records, whoever belongs to a particular political party and if that party chooses to serve a whip on its members it is binding on them,’’ the Speaker said on the 16 MLAs who have resigned.
“They have all given their resignations in the proper format now and I have received them. They asked me to accept them immediately but I said it cannot be done that way. As per Kaul and Shakdher, and as per article 190 of the Constitution, I must be convinced that the resignations are genuine,” he said.
“You come here and tell me to accept your resignation but I have to consider through the night whether they are genuine and voluntary. I have to look at the definitions of those words. I cannot stray away from what the rules state even if it benefits some but not others.”
D(S) MLAs reach Prestige Golfshire Club in Bengaluru.
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Resort politics returned to Karnataka as the three key players — ruling Congress and JDS and opposition BJP herded their MLAs in luxury stays to keep their flock intact amid the continuing tension triggered by the legislators' resignation saga.
The JDS has chosen the serene surroundings of Nandi Hill on the city outskirts while its partner Congress opted for a star hotel here, sources in the parties said. The MLAs of the BJP are staying in the cozy comforts of a resort near Yelahanka here and an ultra luxury hotel. (PTI)
Congress moves its MLAs to Taj Yeshwantpur in Bengaluru.
Karnataka Assembly Speaker K R Ramesh Kumar Friday told the Supreme Court the allegation by 10 rebel MLAs of the Congress-JD(S) coalition that he had made himself "scarce" and was unavailable on the day of their resignation is "fallacious".
In an affidavit, he said that none of these MLAs submitted the resignation in person or by hand to him. "It is therefore patently false to suggest that the speaker had made himself scarce or was unavailable".
The MLAs moved the apex court alleging that the speaker was not accepting their resignations. Their counsel had told the top court on Thursday that on July 6, when some of the MLAs went to submit their resignations, the speaker left his office through the back door. (PTI)
Three rebel Congress and JDS MLAs failed to appear before Karnataka Assembly Speaker K R Ramesh Kumar Friday as sought by him for a personal hearing over their resignations, official sources said. The Speaker had on July 9 asked the three MLAs to appear before him at his office between 3 pm and 4 pm Friday for a personal hearing. (PTI)
BJP MLAs reach Ramada resort from the state Assembly.
One of the concerns that Congress leaders have as the Karnataka legislative assembly enters a phase of uncertainty on account of the resignation of 16 MLAs from the ruling Congress-JDS coalition is that the Speaker of the state assembly K R Ramesh Kumar will show no favouritism despite being a Congress leader for many years. Read more...
Lone BSP MLA N Mahesh in the Karnataka Assembly chose not to speak to the media.
Karnataka Urban Development Minister UT Khader said seeking of trust vote is the way to solve the confusion that has arisen between the people of the state and the government. "It is the moral responsibility (of any chief minister) and ethics of politics, and that is why a chief minister is looked up to as a role model," he said. "If we get the majority, we will continue, otherwise no." When asked about when the trust vote will be moved, he said only Speaker will decide that.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi Friday said BJP uses money to bring down state governments. "They have been doing that. We saw that in the Northeast as well," he added.
JD(S) legislators have left for a resort on the outskirts of Bengaluru after the first day of monsoon session in Vidhana Soudha. They were ferried in a bus different from the one in which they came to the legislative assembly this morning.
Former Karnataka CM and Congress leader Siddaramaiah said the Congress-JD(S) coalition is confident of retaining the numbers in the Assembly and that is why they are moving the vote of confidence motion. However, he said he "did not want to disclose" how (Cong-JDS) will win the vote of confidence in the Karnataka legislative assembly.
Karnataka Congress MLA Tanveer Sait says Congress-JD(S) coalition has the numbers to retain the government in Karnataka. According to him, the coordination between the two parties is now even better than before.
Four Karnataka rebel legislators, BC Patil, ST Somashekhar, Byrathi Basavaraj, and Shivram Hebbar, took blessings of Lord Ganesh at Siddhivinayak Temple in Mumbai.
In the wake of H D Kumaraswamy deciding to seek a trust vote, Assembly Speaker K R Ramesh Kumar Friday said a slot would be allotted whenever the Karnataka Chief Minister opted for it.
"The chief minister has spoken his mind that he would not cling to power amid the confusion. He said he will seek the trust of the House," the Speaker told reporters here.
"Whenever he tells me that he wants to move the trust motion, the very next day I will put it in the business of the day," he added. (PTI)
JD(S) MLA and Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy's wife Anitha Kumaraswamy said the speaker is yet to accept the resignations. "We’ll have to wait and see if their mind changes. Still hopeful," Anitha said.
Congress to move its MLAs to Clarks Exotica Convention Resorts in Bengaluru after Assembly session.
Senior BJP leader K Eshwarappa demands the resignation of Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy.
Karnataka Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy Friday said he would seek a trust vote and asked Speaker K R Ramesh Kumar to fix the time for it. The embattled JD(S) leader also said he was ready for everything and that he was not here to cling to power. Kumaraswamy made the plea seeking the trust vote in the Assembly, which met here amid a flurry of political developments that have pushed his already wobbly government on the brink of collapse.
Karnataka CM H D Kumaraswamy on Friday sought time from the Speaker of the state assembly to seek a vote of confidence in his government Kumaraswamy made the request in the course of condolence messages at the opening of the state assembly session. The numbers of the coalition will fall to 101 in the event of acceptance of the resignations of 16 MLAs by the Speaker. The BJP has 105 MLAs and the support of two Independents at present.
All is set for the start of the tumultuous Karnataka assembly session today. Most MLAs have started arriving. JD (S) MLAs have come on a bus from the Devanahalli resort. Ministers are already in the assembly. Sowmya Reddy, daughter of Ramalinga Reddy is seen entering the Vidhan Soudha.
Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee Working President Eshwar Khandre claims all Congress MLAs will attend the monsoon session. He says strict action will be taken against those who skip the session.
Supreme Court orders status quo regarding Karnataka MLAs till it hears the matter again on July 16. The court says Speaker should not decide on disqualification or resignation of MLAs till that date.
Senior advocate Rajeev Dhavan, appearing for K'taka CM, tells SC one of the rebel MLAs was involved in Ponzi scheme for which govt is being accused of. Disqualification proceedings have been filed against eight MLAs, Singhvi, counsel for Speaker, tells SC.
Jayanagar MLA Sowmya Reddy, Congress MLA KJ George and others arrive ahead of the monsoon session in Vidhana Soudha.
MLAs in plea have levelled corruption allegations and order was passed without hearing me. Plea of MLAs should not have been entertained. Speaker has the responsibility to satisfy himself that resignations were voluntary. Order on resignations was passed by SC without issuing notice to speaker, alleges CM HD Kumaraswamy.
Speaker can be given one or two days to decide on resignations. If he does not decide, contempt notice can be issued against him: MLAs to SC
Speaker has no immunity with regard to acceptance of resignations, rebel MLAs tell SC. Does the speaker have the power to challenge SC order, CJI Ranjan Gogoi asks the speaker's counsel. Rebel MLAs say speaker questioned their move to approach SC and said "go to hell" to them in front of media.
Notices are being pasted on the homes of all the rebel MLAs of the party legislative whip that has been issued for them to attend the monsoon session of the Karnataka assembly.
Karnataka BJP chief BS Yeddyurappa rules out the possibility of forming govt with the support of JD(S), says they have already failed after forming the govt with JD(S) once. The issue was raised following a meeting of Tourism Minister Sa Ra Mahesh with BJP leaders yesterday. Yeddyurappa said it was a mere coincidence, and nothing more should be seen in the incident.
JD(S) MLAs camping at a private resort in Devanahalli, Bengaluru leave for Vidhana Soudha to attend the monsoon session.
Dr Rajeev Dhavan, arguing for Karnataka CM, objects to the submissions of the rebel MLAs that the speaker has acted in a mala-fide manner.
The Supreme Court is hearing on a plea of 10 rebel Karnataka MLAs seeking acceptance of their resignations by Assembly speaker. The MLAs had met the Speaker on Thursday and eight of them had submitted fresh resignation letters in a correct format.
It is a constitutional duty to Speaker to ensure that resignations are voluntary and genuine. Cites Article 190(3)(b) provision. Resignation is a ploy to avoid disqualification, Singhvi submits. Congress leader and senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi argue that these MLAs' intention in giving resignation is something different, and it is to avoid disqualification.
Rohatgi points out that whip has been issued to the rebel MLAs to be present in house and vote on the budget. This is a ploy to cause their disqualification and acceptance of resignation is being purposefully delayed, he says. Speaker is acting in contempt of court by refusing to decide on resignations within the deadline set by SC.
BJP government has come to power just to finish Secularism, Democracy and Opposition. Their only goal is to have one political party, which is against democracy and constitution: Gulam nabi Azad
MLAs arrive at Vidhana Soudha as the Karnataka assembly session begins today.
BS Yeddyurappa, BJP, on Karnataka Assembly session beginning today: We will give a whip to attend the session from today to the end of this month.
Lawyer appearing for many Congress workers today, before the Supreme Court mentioned and sought a hearing in Karnataka political crisis case. CJI, Ranjan Gogoi, heading the three judge-bench, asked him to remain present when the same matter would be taken up for hearing today.
All the Congress and JDS MLAs have been issued whips to attend the session. The whip will be in force under the present circumstances, the Speaker clarified. Legislators who do not attend the assembly session will be liable to face disqualification under the anti-defection law.
Defending his position, which had come under severe criticism owing to delay in accepting the resignations, Kumar said that the rebel MLAs failed to communicate to him their decisions and rushed to the Governor. “MLAs didn’t communicate to me and rushed to the Governor. What can he do? Is it not misuse? They approached the Supreme Court. My obligation is to people of this state and the Constitution of the country. I am delaying because I love this land. I am not acting in haste,” Kumar told the media.
Congress leader moves SC seeking to intervene in the case filed by 10 rebel MLAs for acceptance of their resignation.
We'll ask the court to implement its order so that the Speaker takes a decision as soon as possible. If all MLAs appeared before him, gave affidavits and moved SC that they want to resign, what further verification is required I don't understand: Sr lawyer M Rohatgi, representing Karnataka rebel MLAs
The MLAs returned to the Renaissance hotel in suburban Powai and they would be staying there for another two days. The legislators were camping here since Saturday evening after resigning and withdrawing support to the 13-month-old JD(S)-Congress government in Karnataka, bringing it on the verge of collapse. "They submitted their resignations before the Speaker of Karnataka Assembly today and now they are back in Mumbai," the BJP leader added.
Karnataka Assembly Speaker K R Ramesh Kumar has ruled out any immediate decision on the resignation of rebel MLAs in the crisis-hit ruling JD(S)-Congress coalition, saying he cannot be expected to work at "lightning speed". The Supreme Court on Thursday asked the Speaker to decide "forthwith" about the resignation of 10 rebel MLAs, allowing them to meet him at 6 pm. A bench headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi said the decision taken by the Speaker has to be intimated on Friday when the court takes up the plea by the rebel MLAs.
The Congress-Janata Dal (Secular) government in Karnataka is teetering on the edge — it may lose its majority in the assembly. Sixteen Congress legislators claim to have resigned as MLAs though Speaker KR Ramesh Kumar found procedural infirmities in their resignations. The Supreme Court, on a plea from 10 rebel MLAs, directed the Speaker on Thursday to meet them. His ruling will have a bearing on the House strength, of course. But it is unlikely to restore the credibility of the government, or for that matter, of the main political players in the state. READ EXPRESS EDITORIAL HERE
From interference in work to resentment over denial of minister seat, the rebel Cong and JDS MLAs have their own reasons. Johnson T A takes a look at the legislators who have put the state government on edge. READ PROFILES HERE
Hours after the Supreme Court Thursday asked Karnataka Speaker K R Ramesh Kumar to take a decision on the resignations of 10 rebel Congress and JD(S) MLAs before the day ended, the Speaker told the court that the process would take time and he won’t be able to complete it the same day. In Bengaluru later in the evening, the rebel MLAs met the Speaker, who ruled out an immediate decision citing rules and parliamentary procedure, and said: “There is no date to decide the acceptance of the resignations. If I am satisfied, I will accept and if I am not satisfied the consequences are known. I will go by procedures.”
Read | SC tells Speaker to decide, he says will go by rules
10-day Karnataka Monsoon session to begin today from 12.30 pm amidst political crisis in the state. Meanwhile, Karnataka Speaker KR Ramesh Kumar has given appointment for 4:00 PM today to three of the five MLAs whose resignations were in the prescribed format.
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