Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa rejected on Friday the Opposition's charge that BJP was engaged in luring MLAs of the Congress and JDS into quitting their Assembly seats. A JDS MLA abstained from the vote of confidence and later resigned from his seat,while two belonging to the Congress quit this week - moves the Opposition allege are clear cases of "horse-trading" by the BJP to save its government. The Opposition alleged the BJP has been "pursuing" Opposition MLAs to quit their seats as it would enable the ruling party to shore up its numbers,should the Speaker's order disqualifying the 11 rebel BJP MLAs and five Independents is set aside by court. When his reaction was sought,Yeddyurappa insisted the BJP is not encouraging Opposition members to resign their seats nor is it interested in them doing so. "If they (the three Opposition MLAs) want to leave their party,in what way am I concerned; in what way am I responsible?" Yeddyurappa asked. On JDS releasing a CD yesterday containing a purported conversation in which a BJP MLA tries to lure a JDS MLA,Yeddyurappa sought to hit back at JDS leader H D Kumaraswamy who held a press conference in this context. "There is no need for us to take advice or lessons from those who took 11 BJP MLAs to Chennai and Goa and put them in captivity in a way,along with Goa ministers,and did all kinds of things (seeking to topple his government)," Yeddyurappa said. A single new judge of the Karnataka High Court has reserved orders on petitions by the rebel BJP MLAs challenging their disqualification by the Speaker after they withdrew support to the Yeddyurappa government. A Division Bench had earlier given a split verdict on the issue and referred the matter to a third judge. Yeddyurappa,heading the first saffron government in the south,has been facing uncertainty ever since the withdrawal of support by the rebel MLAs. He won the second vote of confidence on October 14 after the first one by voice vote on October 11 was dubbed unconstitutional by Governor H R Bhardwaj.
